Rurouni Kenshin Highschool Madness
by Sora Himura
Summary: [AU][Title changed to RKHM Remix. Former chapters being rewritten, new chapter up!] Just how exactly does one mix swordwielding with everyday life? Multiple Pairings!
1. Chapter I: Tokyo isn't all that bad

(Peeks out from corner) Um… hello, everyone… I guess I'm still alive over here (although just barely). Yes, I know how many of you now hate me (probably) for leaving you hanging… but I won't apologize, seeing as it's not enough.

I was thinking of how I could pick up where I left… but since I couldn't come up with anything, I started reading RKHM myself from the very beginning. Damn, I surprised myself. Lol It had been such a long time since I've worked with it that (even though I consider it utter crap) I enjoyed it as if I hadn't been the one who wrote it… until I got to the last chapter I had written. It was then where I started thinking… Damn… I wanna know what happens next... but this is sooo crap. So I decided to re-write everything, beginning with this, chapter one. Expect better writing and eloquence, Sora not being a Mary-sue, no more fan girl Japanese, and more Kenshin x Kaoru moments, seeing as I originally kind of neglected them.

Well, I hope you guys enjoy this, RKHM Remix. My most sincere wishes.

Love,

Sora

* * *

Rurouni Kenshin Highschool Madness Remix

By Sora Himura

Chapter I: Tokyo isn't all that bad

**Current mood: More than Words - Extreme**

* * *

"Oh, no! I'm gonna be late for school!"

Seventeen-year old Kaoru Kamiya slammed her hand down on the alarm clock and practically jumped out of bed in a hurry. She couldn't believe she had been so lazy as to press the 'snooze button' fifteen times before actually waking up. Now she was going to be late for school!

She was entering a new school, Tokyo's Silver Star High, although it was January. She and her younger brother Yahiko had recently moved here to Tokyo and in with their cousin Sayo after their parents' untimely death. Since today was her first day, and she didn't know anything or anyone, save for the fact that her homeroom number was C-2, she had wanted to make an early rise so she could head into the school's counseling office for a tour, but now all her plans were shattered. Now she just prayed she could make it to the school on time.

After an extremely speedy shower, Kaoru quickly put on her school uniform, consisting of a pleated dark blue skirt, white short-sleeved top and a tie, dark blue stockings and black school shoes, and then literally flew down the stairs into the hallway.

"Yahiko, have you seen my bag?" she anxiously asked her bratty younger brother Yahiko as she dashed into the kitchen. The spiky-haired kid made a face at her and threw her bag at the front door, which consequently landed with a loud thud.

"There it is. Now hurry up or you're gonna be late, ugly." He sneered taunting her.

A vein popped in the girl's forehead. It was much too early for this. Resisting her strong urge of slamming Yahiko on the head with her wooden sword, she made a mental note to get back at him later for that 'ugly' commentary.

At the table, she quickly pulled up her long raven hair into a ponytail, which she tied with her favorite indigo ribbon. Then dashing to the fridge, she grabbed a glass of orange juice, which she downed quickly, and an apple as a snack for later. Passing by the table, she snatched a piece of toast and her jacket before running to the foyer.

"Bye, Yahiko. Sayo must be at school already." She called out as she slammed the door behind her. Her cousin Sayo, who was a year older than she was, had been going to a very strict all-girls catholic school since she was very young, so she couldn't accompany Kaoru on her first day.

Outside, the birds twittered, and the sun shone brightly. Small piles of remaining snow were clustered around the borders of the sidewalk, but nothing too serious. Feeling slightly chilly, though, Kaoru slid on her jacket.

The sapphire-orbed girl then began a quick run toward the school, which fortunately, was only a couple blocks away. If she kept up her pace, she could arrive a good twenty minutes before the bell rang.

She was thinking so hard that she was going to be late that she didn't notice somebody was right in front of her until she had already collided into him. There was a thud, then a crash, then a swirl of twittering birds going round and round her head as she went swirly-eyed.

Quickly recovering, she promptly turned to make an apology.

"Oh my gosh… I'm so terribly sorry. Are you alright?" she apologized as she bowed her head repeatedly.

She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. "I'm good. Are you okay? We took a pretty nasty fall, that we did." The boy answered in return. His voice was sweet yet cool at the same time. Surprised at his kindness and carefree attitude, seeing as he didn't seem mad at her, she looked up at him for the first time.

The young man had long, wild red hair tied back in a low loose ponytail, and behind his amazing flaming bangs you could see sparkling amethyst-colored eyes and a curious cross-shaped scar present on his left cheek. Through his slightly unbuttoned school shirt, she could notice a smooth toned chest and hard abs. The girl couldn't help but blush furiously. This guy was _extremely cute. _Much cuter than any guy she had ever seen in Osaka.

"I-I'm alright. It was all my fault…" she stammered, looking down.

"It was both our faults. I should've been more aware of my surroundings." He smiled gently, picking himself up from the floor and dusting off his pants. He then extended a hand to her. Blushing slightly, she took it.

She avoided his gaze as he pulled her up. "Thank you… umm…"

"Himura. I'm Kenshin Himura." He clarified for her. His smile was just amazing.

The boy suddenly paused to look her over, quickly recognizing the uniform.

"You go to Silver Star High too?" he more stated than asked. Kaoru nodded her head in agreement.

"It's my first day here… I just recently moved from Osaka, so I had to transfer in the middle of the school year." She muttered, looking somewhat sad.

Kenshin frowned slightly at this, and tried to cheer her up. "Well, I'm sure you'll like it very much here in Tokyo, miss… err…"

"Oh… sorry. How incredibly rude of me!" Kaoru sweatdropped. "First I run you over, then I forget to introduce myself! I'm Kaoru Kamiya." She extended her hand to the redhead. Kenshin took it with a smile once more present in his face.

"Kaoru…" he repeated pensively. _'What a beautiful name… it definitely suits her.'_

Kaoru suddenly looked at her watch and gasped. "I think I better get going."

Kenshin looked down at his own watch. "I think so… Mind if I walk with you?" he offered, taking Kaoru by surprise.

'_He wants to walk with me?'_ she was inwardly starry-eyed, but managed to maintain her composure. "Yes! I mean… no, I don't mind."

Kenshin just smiled his famous rurouni smile. "Thank you."

* * *

"Kamiya Kasshin style?" 

On their way to school, Kenshin and Kaoru had started a conversation, mostly about Kaoru's hobbies and interests. And one of them, much more than a hobby, more like a passion, was the Kamiya Kasshin style of swordsmanship.

"Yes. It's my family's swordsmanship style. It was developed by my father." Kaoru stated proudly. "We used to teach it in our dojo back in Osaka… and I'm planning on opening a dojo here too, as soon as I get settled."

"Just you?" Kenshin voiced in wonder. "Wow… I take it you are a master at the style?"

"Yeah. Back at home, I was the assistant master, and my father was the teacher." Her gaze suddenly saddened, just a bit. "Now that my father's gone… my brother Yahiko and I are the only ones left who can pass on the Kasshin to others."

Kenshin put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. It sounded as if her loss was recent. He was really curious about the subject, but decided it was better to not press the matter.

"I'm sure you and your brother will do just fine."

* * *

The pair made it to school just as the bell rang. The front of the building was crowded by many students, male and female, who now seemed to move in an unanimously large mass to the inside. 

Kaoru found herself in a small predicament.

"Oh, how am I supposed to find my classroom? They all look the same." Kaoru whined, causing Kenshin to chuckle amusedly.

"What's your class number?"

"C-2."

"Then it's right over… there."

Kenshin led a blushing Kaoru by the hand to her classroom.

"Here we go. This is your homeroom." The amethyst-eyed boy smiled at Kaoru, letting go of her hand.

"Thank you very much, Kenshin." She thanked him shyly, her gaze fixated on the floor.

"No problem. Well, I have to go now, or I'll be late. See you, Kaoru." He waved as he disappeared into the crowd of rushing students.

"See you… Kenshin." Kaoru whispered to herself as she entered her classroom. Peeking slightly inside, she noticed the classroom was almost already full. Scanning the room for a chair, she noticed a few available ones at the far bottom of the class.

"Hey, you can sit next to me if you want." Came a voice from Kaoru's left. The raven-haired girl turned to where the voice came from to see a friendly-looking girl waving at her. She appeared to have a petite frame, and had her dark blue hair tied back in a long braid. She also had a big smile and lively sky-blue eyes.

"Thank you." Kaoru smiled gratefully as she took a seat next to the friendly lass.

"I'm Misao Makimachi. What's your name?" the girl asked cheerfully. Kaoru immediately liked her presence, and guessed her cheerfulness must be contagious, for she found herself smiling widely as well.

"I'm Kaoru Kamiya."

Misao had curious wide eyes now. "Ooh.. Nice to meet you, Kaoru. Are you new? 'Cause I've never seen you around here… and trust me, I know a heck of a lot of people."

Kaoru laughed slightly. "I just moved here last week with my brother." She turned to look out the window, from where you could see most of the campus. "I'm still trying to get used to here, though."

Misao's pout turned into a friendly grin. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll fit in just fine. I'll show you around."

"Thank you so much, Misao."

The cerulean-orbed girl was about to say something in return, but was cut off by Professor Hajime Saitoh entering the room. Saitoh was a very tall and lean man, with his dark hair impeccably slicked back, save for a few stray strands. His presence overall was very imposing, which made Kaoru just want to sit back completely straight and listen to his every word.

The man had a sour expression on his face, nonetheless, which made it clear that it was definitely not a good day to tick him off. Not that any day was a good day to get on Hajime Saitoh's nerves.

"Good day, students." He barked, sounding none-too-friendly.

In mere seconds, all eyes and attention were focused on him. The beginnings of a smirk formed on the corners of his mouth.

"Very good. I am… ahem… _pleased_ to see all of you again after this winter vacation." He continued, while Misao faked a cough. _Liar_. He wanted to see them back almost as much as they wanted to see him… not at all. Kaoru tensed when he sensed the professor seemingly glare in their direction.

"Anyway, before I send you off on your _merry_ trek of learning, I think we have a new student here with us today."

Kaoru took this as her cue.

"Yes, sir. My name's Kaoru Kamiya." She stood up, only to immediately bow respectfully. She felt her face heat up suddenly as she felt all gazes on her, and hear people murmur something or other. Saitoh's smirk softened a little. At least the girl was respectful.

'_Stay like that, and I assure you, you will get far in my class.'_ He seemed to tell her as their gazes locked.

The old wolf's eyes were suddenly filled with a curious sheen. "Kamiya, you say?"

"Yes, sir." She nodded.

"Very well." He waved her off. "You may take a seat."

"Thank you, sir."

Saitoh then turned to the rest of the class. "As you all know, there are kendo club try-outs this afternoon, for whoever those who are interested." He seemed to shoot Kaoru a look. The girl widened her eyes in disbelief. How did he know?

"Well, you are all dismissed. On to your first class." He declared, moving to sit behind his desk. As you remember, this is only home room period, so it's only several minutes before the students move to their first class.

Idle chatter immediately began, students talking and laughing animatedly as they told each other of their winter vacations. Kaoru was about to follow Misao out the door, when Saitoh called her.

"Miss Kamiya. Would you be so kind as to lend me a moment of your time?" he requested. Kaoru looked at him, then at Misao, who shrugged her shoulders and made motions to tell her she would wait outside. Nodding, the girl walked over to the teacher.

"Yes, sir?" she said tentatively, wondering what he wanted her for.

The man seemed to take a deep breath. "I'm sorry about your loss…" he started, and Kaoru immediately knew she was talking about her father. "Koshijiro Kamiya was a fine man indeed."

"How did…" she began flabbergasted, but he beat her to the punch.

"He was a good man, and a good friend… Anyway… if you are Koshijiro's daughter… I'm sure you will have no problem in making the kendo club."

Heartfelt, Kaoru bowed again. "T-thank you, sir…" she whispered.

"Now hurry along. I'd hate to be the reason for you to be late to class."

With a final bow, Kaoru exited the room and walked into the hallway, where Misao was waiting for her.

"Everything alright?" the cerulean-eyed girl asked, worry present in her tone. Kaoru suddenly smiled.

"Yeah, everything's just fine."

"Ok. Well, let's go. Hate to get on Professor Murakami's bad side… He's a regular sour lemon, even more so than Saitoh." Misao shrugged, pulling Kaoru with her to their Geometry classroom.

As she sat next to Misao in the classroom, and as a short, white-bearded old man barked at the class to be quiet, Kaoru sat thinking about everything that had happened so far. Quite an eventful morning… there was Kenshin… then Misao's friendliness and Professor Saitoh's understanding and support. Much more than what she could have ever wished for.

You know, maybe Tokyo wasn't all that bad after all.

* * *

… _End Chapter I …_


	2. Chapter II: Meet Kenshin's Group

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

Chapter II: Meet Kenshin's Group

* * *

It was finally lunchtime, and by then Kaoru and Misao had exchanged practically everything about their lives. They were currently talking about their musical interests. 

"Hmm… you like pop and rock overall? Cool!" Misao cheered. "I consider myself an all-around music kind of person, except I'm kinda kooky on funky-lively dance and disco music, and 'hairy' rock bands like AC/DC, Queen, Scorpions, Guns 'n Roses, Def Leppard…" the cerulean-eyed girl counted with her fingers, causing a giggle from Kaoru. "You know, nothing like the classics." She added finally with a beam.

Kaoru couldn't help but smile. Misao was an absolutely interesting person. She was into everything, and really nothing at the same time. She was active, she was spunky, and she was fun.

"Misao, if you don't mind me saying this…" she started, causing Misao to look at her curiously, eyebrows arched in question. "You're just awesome!"

Misao blushed and laughed as she gave Kaoru a high-five. "Why, thank you, Kaoru." She winked. "But you're pretty cool yourself. You must have had lots of friends back in Osaka."

The raven-haired girl nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but I hope to make lots of friends here too."

Misao suddenly started her by smacking her own forehead. "D'oh… of course! Jeez, Misao, are you stupid?" the cerulean-eyed girl scolded herself, much to Kaoru's amusement. "How could you forget to introduce Kaoru to your friends?"

"C'mon, I want you to meet someone." Taking her by the wrist, Misao began dragging a sweatdropping Kaoru down the hallway. Yep, Kaoru thought. Misao was really something.

"I'll introduce you to my friends Megumi and Tae first. They're a year older than us…" the petite girl started, but suddenly stopped in her tracks, staring straight ahead.

"Um… Misao, is everything ok?" Kaoru asked concerned, before following Misao's gaze to land on someone. A very _tall _and handsome guy, to be exact.

"Lord Aoshi…" Misao whispered without thinking, a light blush spreading across her face as it gained a dreamy expression.

The black-haired boy shifted his icy blue eyes over the crown in the hallway, before turning around and disappearing down the other end of the hall. Kaoru stood in shock as Misao remained flabbergasted.

'_Wow…"_ Kaoru whispered to himself as she remained in awe. _'I'm definitely not in Osaka anymore.'_ Never in her life had she seen guys as… stunning as Tokyo boys. It was just… wow.

"M-Misao?" Kaoru asked uncertainly. "Who was that?"

"Aoshi Shinomori… How I long the day you acknowledge my feelings for you… the day I can see you smile…" the girl almost danced around the hallway, receiving a weird look from Kaoru.

"Um, Misao, are you alright?" she asked, her gaze not locked on Misao, but on the direction in which Aoshi had disappeared earlier. When she was sure Aoshi was definitely gone, she turned to her love-struck friend. "I take it you have a crush on him."

"He's one of my friends… but nothing more." The petite girl said dejectedly, before brightening up. "Well, I can worry about him later… right now, I should introduce you to the rest of the gang."

She led Kaoru to the lunchroom and toward a table where two upper-classman girls sat. One of them had long black hair with face-framing bangs and green eyes, and the other had short tied-back brown hair and a friendly-looking face. When they noticed Misao, they smiled and waved at her.

"Megumi! Tae!" Misao called out to them, cheerfully dragging Kaoru toward them. "Nice to see you guys again!"

"Good morning, Misao." The brown-haired girl, Tae, chirped almost as happily as Misao, while the green-eyed girl, Megumi, just nodded with a smile, before noticing Kaoru behind Misao.

"Oh? Who's this, weasel girl?"

A vein popped in Misao's forehead. "Don't call me a weasel, you fox!" she screeched, earning a laugh from both Kaoru and Misao. Settling down a bit, she decided to get started on introductions. "This is Kaoru. She's a transfer student from Osaka, and also my new friend." She beamed. "Kaoru, this is Megumi…" she said, pointing to the black-haired girl. "And this is Tae."

"Hello." Kaoru smiled timidly as she took a slight bow. Megumi smiled softly back.

"A pleasure to meet you, Kaoru."

"Yeah! Welcome to beautiful Tokyo!" Tae fanfared, sounding almost as hyper as Misao. She also possessed a slight _kansai _accent. The two girl's friendliness immediately washed over Kaoru.

"Nice meeting you guys too." She replied smiling a broad smile.

Misao then turned to casually lean on Megumi. "So… Fox. Where's your beloved rooster-head of a boyfriend?" she teased, although Megumi didn't seem to have much of a problem with having her boyfriend called "rooster-head".

"Well, I've yet to see him since first period." The black-haired girl put a finger to her cheek thoughtfully. "Maybe he's catching up with the others."

As if on cue…

"Hey, foxy babe. Finally found you!"

Kaoru and the others looked at the newcomer, an extremely tall guy, almost as tall as Aoshi. He had friendly hazel-colored eyes and curious spiky brown hair, which stuck up in a way that it looked like a rooster's crest. So _that's_ why they called him rooster-head, though Kaoru. Regardless, he was also extremely handsome like Aoshi and Kenshin.

'_What IS it with Tokyo and all these amazing guys?'_

Megumi brightened up as Sano put an arm around her shoulders and nuzzled into her hair.

"I've missed you all morning! What have you been up to?" she pretend-pouted.

Sano shrugged. "You know, just hanging with the guys…Damn it, Rikkuse's being annoying today…"

"Must be the fact that Sora called in sick." Misao butted in, her expression slightly concerned.

"Hey, there, weasel girl." The boy greeted as if he had just noticed the girl. "Nice seeing you're up and lively. Hey, sis." He gave a slight wave at Tae, who was his sister. Before Misao could retort on the weasel girl commentary, he locked his eyes on Kaoru.

"Hey, missy. Who are you?" he quirked a friendly eyebrow in question.

Misao was about to reply for her, when Kaoru beat her to the punch.

"I'm Kaoru Kamiya, a transfer student from Osaka." She nodded.

A grin plastered on the brunette's face. "Hey, sweet! Nice meeting you, Kaoru. The name's Sanosuke Sagara." He extended a hand for her to shake, which she gladly accepted. "Bet weasel girl's making you feel right at home."

Kaoru laughed. "Yeah."

"Well…" the hazel-eyed boy got up, sticking his hands in his pant pockets. "I'll catch you guys later. Gotta go find Kenshin and the others before Rikkuse does something drastic." And with that, he was off.

Kaoru widened her eyes suddenly. "Kenshin… does he mean Himura? Kenshin Himura?"

Misao nodded energetically. "Kenshin is Sano's best friend, and probably the reason why we all know each other. Although he isn't in our class, he's in our same grade. Hmm… why? You know him?"

Kaoru blushed sheepishly as she twiddled her fingers. "Well, sort of. I literally ran into him this morning. He was really… nice."

Megumi suddenly laughed her trademark laugh. "I think someone's got a little crush."

"No, of course not." Kaoru defended, although she still blushed. "How could I? I just met him this morning."

"Well, there's a little thing I like to call 'Love at First Sight'…" Tae started dreamily.

The raven-haired girl shook it off. "Who knows… but… I'd definitely like to see him again…"

* * *

"Hey, Kenshin. Come over here." Sano called over at his redheaded friend, who was just standing in the lunchroom doorway, his gaze fixated on something… or someone. 

"Coming, Sano." The amethyst-eyed boy replied, shooting a last glimpse at the girl he met in the morning before walking over to his friend. So… Kaoru was hanging out with Misao. This could be interesting.

Picking up his pace a little, he made it to where his friends were waiting for him. Aoshi stood leaning against the wall, his expression unreadable as his eyes remained lidded and shot, oblivious to the rest of the world. Next to him was another boy about Kenshin's height, who seemed to never stop smiling. Soujiro. And next to Soujiro were Sano and his younger brother, Rikkuse.

Rikkuse didn't look like Sano at all. Even more so, his spiky golden hair and green eyes set him apart from most of the guys in Tokyo. Sano often joked that Rikkuse was his mother's bastard son. The blond didn't find it so funny.

"Hey, Kenshin. Can we come over today?" Rikkuse asked with a puppy-dog pout, followed by a teasing nudge from Sano.

"Yeah, Rikks' just dying for you to invite us over to your place. He's lovesick because he hasn't seen his girlfriend in a while." He snickered, earning a playful punch from his younger brother.

"You know Sora's not my girlfriend, Sano."

"But you want her to be."

"Do not!" Rikkuse blushed, earning a round of laughs from his friends.

"There's no need to hide it, Rikkuse. We all know you like Kenshin's cousin. Heck, I'd be darned if _she _didn't know it." Soujiro stated simply, his ever-present smile gracing his features. Rikkuse face-faulted.

"Yeah, I know… I'm too damn obvious, aren't I?"

"I guess so." Kenshin chuckled. "Anyway, your visit would be much appreciated. It might make her feel better."

"Yeah… nothing like a visit from a pair of clowns to make a girl smile."

Everybody suddenly turned to gape at the boy who had said that. Aoshi? He SPOKE? All of a sudden, everyone burst out laughing. Aoshi resumed his closed-eyes stance, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"So…" Sano interjected, rubbing his hands together with a grin. "The plans for February…"

Rikkuse let out a groan. "Sano… it's January. Live for the moment!"

The older boy shrugged. "A little advanced preparation never hurt." He turned to lock mischievous hazel eyes on Kenshin. "Each and every one of my 'buddies' is gonna have a date this year. You hear that, Kenshin? Everyone."

Kenshin put his hands in front of him defensively as he laughed sheepishly. "Now, now, Sano. I appreciate the help but…"

"He's already got his eyes on someone." Aoshi said suddenly, surprising everybody for the second time that day.

"Aoshi's on a roll." Soujiro laughed uneasily. When Aoshi spoke, it either led to a lot of good, or a lot of bad. No way to know for certain.

"I-uh…" Kenshin stuttered, but Aoshi beat him to it… again.

"It's that Kamiya girl."

Rikkuse gaped at the icy-eyed boy. "How can you…"

"Never question my intelligence." Was all the tall boy said before pushing himself off the wall and sauntering away _somewhere_.

'_What the heck was THAT about?' _Kenshin wondered, gaping at the other boy walking away. But Aoshi's… erm… _intelligence_, for lack of a better word, was the least of his worries.

After recovering himself from the surprise, Sano turned to leer wickedly at Kenshin. "Oh, really? You like Kaoru, Kenshin? And when exactly where you planning to tell me?" He was grinning like a cheshire cat.

Kenshin blushed. "Sano, I don't have any idea what you're…" the redhead tried to sound as clueless as possible, but apparently it didn't work.

"Don't play dumb with me, Kenshin!" Sano grinned as he gave the redheaded boy countless noogies. The poor boy soon stumbled swirly-eyed, forcing the brunette to let go of him. "Oops. Sorry, buddy. I guess I don't know my own strength." Sano apologized, scratching his head sheepishly.

"You forget your own strength, Sano; that you do. Orororororo..." 'THUD' Kenshin fell backwards in a daze, while Soujiro and Rikkuse winced.

"Ooh, that must've hurt…"

* * *

… _End Chapter II …_


	3. Kendo: An Inevitable Confrontation

Disclaimer: Of course I own Rurouni Kenshin! What? You saw I don't? Well guess what. You're right. I only own Rikkuse Sagara and myself (Sora Himura in my fic. Yep, I'm in here, in case chapter 2 didn't give a hint.)

Chapter 3:Kendo, An Inevitable Confrontation

It was finally the last class, and Kaoru's favorite, Kendo. Kaoru was shaking her head at a very hyper Misao because Aoshi was in 11-A, which was the group joining them for kendo. How could such an energetic and spunky girl like such a calm and collected guy?

Misao was jumping up and down. "Ooh, I'm so excited! Aoshi-sama is so close! Whoo! Whoo! Yahoo!" She was freaking Kaoru out.

"Misao, calm down."

"Oh, look who's over there, Kaoru! It's Kenshin!"

"K.Kenshin?"

"Aren't you glad to see him?" said Misao evilly.

"No, not especially. I really don't know him all that good. Why would I be glad to see him?" Kaoru responded, crossing her arms over her chest. She liked Kenshin, a lot, but she wasn't about to leave her promise just for a cute guy. "_Can I keep up this charade?"_ she thought to herself.

Effectively, Kenshin had just entered the dojo, followed by Soujiro and Rikkuse. Kenshin then leaned against the wall, looking down. Kaoru wondered what was he thinking. Then a girl entered the dojo. She had longauburn hairtied up in a side ponytail, she had the same violet eyes as Kenshin, and she also had an almost completely fadedcross-shaped scaron her cheek. (I'll explain how she got it later.) She was also spunky, sweet and upbeat; the smile on her face was bright and cheerful.

"Hey, Sora's here."

"Who?"

"Sora Himura. She's Kenshin's cousin. She's a year younger than us soshe's not supposed to be here, but she'spretty good so she's allowed to take kendo with us. Same goes for Sanosuke's brother, Rikkuse." Misao explained to Kaoru.

"Kenshin has a cousin."

"Actually, two. Sora has a little sister, Taiichi. But she's not as close to Kenshin as Sora. Kenshin and Sora are almost like brother and sister. They spend a lot of time together, and since they've been practicing together for years, she's allowed totake kendo in the advanced class. They practice the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."

"Hiten Mitsurugi? Never heard of it before." Kaoru said, not being able to remember ANY style in kendo called that.

"It's only been passed down inhis family. Sora wasn't meant to learn it, but Kenshin wanted to teach her anyway. And since she's so curious about stuff, she decided to learn..."Misao was cut off. She was interrupted once again by Saitoh who entered the room.

"Good afternoon, students." Croaked Saitoh.

"Good afternoon, Sensei." Replied all students in unison.

"Today we are going to see the skills of some of the students from the other groups. And I'll name the one who is to be our Champion, the one who will represent us in the up-coming Neo-Japan Kendo Tournament." There were several oohs and ahs around the room.

"Whoever's gonna represent us in that tournament must be really good. Only the best fighters in all of Japan make it to the Neo-Japan Kendo Tournament." whispered Kaoru to Misao.

"Which is not me!" said Misao. Kaoru just giggled.

"In fact, since all of you probably knows who will represent us, I might as well name our Champion now. The one who will represent us in the Neo-Japan Kendo Tournament will be..." Everybody held their breath. Kaoru was wondering who it was. "Kenshin Himura."

"What? Kenshin?" Kaoru asked Misao, unable to believe her ears.

"I told you, he's the captain of the kendo team, remember? Besides, nobody here can rival Kenshin with a sword or shinai, not even you, Aoshi-sama, or even Saitoh Sensei himself!"

"Humph. I'll show you if I can rival him or not." Kaoru huffed, eyebrows knitted in annoyance.

Misao looked at her with wide cerulean eyes. "What are you planning to do?"

"I'm also participating in the Tournament, you know." the raven-haired girl stated matter-of-factly.

"Really? But how?"

"As the Assistant Master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, I am considered one of the best fighters in Japan and I'll be representing the Kamiya Dojo." Said Kaoru proudly.

"Wow. Cool!"

"And I'm gonna put Kenshin out of his misery!" she grinned confidently.

"You seem to be under the impression that you can beat me, that you do." Kaoru jumped startled by Kenshin. She always reacted like that when she heard his voice.

"Hello, Kenshin!" chirped a cheerful Misao. "I'm happy to see you brought Aoshi-sama with you!" Kenshin chuckled at her.

"Oh, I couldn't forget my promise to you, now, could I?"

"I'm glad you didn't forget! You're the best!" Misao responded hugging Kenshin.

"So, Kaoru. You said you were gonna beat me, did you not?" Kenshin said turning to face Kaoru, who was trying to ignore him.

"Well, of course! There's no way I could ever lose." She replied a little too cockily.

"Are you sure? I'm positive you can't win every single match you enter in, that I am."

"I'll show YOU I can beat you, you jerk!" Kaoru fumed, grabbing her shinai.

"_How can a sweet girl like her be so arrogant? She thinks she can beat me; she'll be disappointed when she loses. But I can't decline her challenge. She'll think I'm a coward."_ Kenshin thought. Straightening himself up, he added. "Fine then. Why don't you show me how it's done."

"Of course. It's my specialty to teach novices." Kaoru smirked.

"Novice?" Kenshin repeated, his eyes unconsciously turning a glint of amber. That's it. Nobody called him a novice and got away with it. Not even her. "Fine. Let's go."

Saitoh was watching their argument and a smirk came to his face. That Raccoon Girl was gonna get it for insulting Himura like that. Then he decided he might as well face them off in the wooden practice area.

"Miss Kamiya and Mister Himura. If you're having an argument and decided to settle it with your shinais, then feel free to use the practice area for your little 'match'." He smirked at them.

"Yes, Sensei. I think we'll do just that." Kenshin said, pulling a slightly surprised Kaoru with him to the practice floor.

The two stood there facing each other, when Kaoru noticed the amber glint in Kenshin's eyes. Amber? Weren't his eyes violet? She watched his stance carefully. He had never seen it before, but it looked perfect. She couldn't feel an unguarded spot. This was bad. She wasn't going to be able to defeat him as easily as she thought she would. She may even...

"Lose?" said Kenshin, complementing her thoughts as if he could read her mind.

"Wh.what the? How does he know what I'm thinking?" she thought alarmed.

"That's one of the secrets of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu." He said, once more reading her mind. She was startled beyond all reason.

"How am I supposed to beat someone who knows what I'm thinking?" she said under her breath.

"Let's go. The first move is yours."

Why was he giving her the first move? Was he insinuating that if HE made the first move she may have no chance of beating him? Many questions passed through her mind, but she shook them off.

"Okay. If you say so, let's start."

She leaped up and brought the sword down at him. He blocked it with the shinai, then jumped back. Next he charged for her, and their shinais clashed. Kenshin could feel her strength behind the attack.

"She's not bad. But I'm sorry to say she's no match for me." He said to himself. But he had a heart. He wasn't going to embarrass her by finishing her off as quickly as he could. He would try to drag on the duel for as long as he could.

They charged again, and he swiftly moved to the side afterwards. He didn't notice that she had gotten behind him. He noticed her just when she started to bring the shinai down to his head.

"Gotcha! Haaa!" she said as she quickly brought the shinai down. It would have hit Kenshin in the head, but he just... disappeared.

"Huh? Where did he go?" she asked looking all around her. Then all of a sudden, she found herself pinned down to the floor by him with the shinai gently over her throat. It was over. She, Kaoru Kamiya, Assistant Master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, had lost.

"Himura's the winner." Mumbled Saitoh. "You can get off of her now, Himura."

Kaoru was ashamed. After what she had told Kenshin, she had LOST against him, and she didn't even touch him! And his speed... it was not human. Suddenly she felt nothing but hate for the person standing over her. Hate for embarrassing her in front of the whole kendo class. She looked up. Kenshin's eyes were violet again, and he was looking down at her with a gentle smile. He held out his hand to help her get up.

"Let me help you get up." Kaoru reluctantly accepted his hand. Then the bell rang.

"Thank you. But I'll never speak to you, ever again. I hate you, Himura." She said. Something inside her took hold of her as she said those last words.

"I'm sorry. I really am." said Kenshin, pure apology in his face.

"Save your breath." Kaoru said coldly, picking up her things and walking out of the room with Misao.

To be continued.

So, now Kaoru hates Kenshin. How can she? I couldn't hate Kenshin, never ever! Love Kenshin! Kenshin best! Kenshin teach Sora the Hiten Mitsorugi Ryu! (only in fic, not in real life. Aw, darn.) Well, if you want, ignore my freaky comments and press the button that says "submit reviews", and make Sora-chan happy. More to come! Don't worry. This will be K/K, I promise. See ya! Peace out!


	4. Kenshin's Past and Kaoru's Troubles

Disclaimer: You know the drill... I don't own Kenshin or anybody but Sora and Rikkuse, for now...

Chapter 4: Kenshin's Past and Kaoru's Troubles

It was 5:30 P.M. Sanosuke, Rikkuse, Soujiro, Aoshi and Kenshin were in the boy's locker room in the gym, getting ready for soccer practice. As they were putting on their gear, Sano started a conversation.

"So, Kenshin. I heard you sparred Kaoru Kamiya."

"Yeah, and he creamed her." Added Soujiro.

"Well, I had to beat her. After all, you guys know that I get seriously ticked off when somebody calls me a novice."

"But you INTENTIONALLY didn't finish her off quickly, right?" Sano smirked. Kenshin just shook his head.

"I just didn't want to embarrass her too much." he justified, but the others knew better.

"Why, Kenshin?" asked Rikkuse. Well, most of them, anyway.

"Don't be a baka, Rikkuse. You can tell as plain as day that Kenshin likes the Raccoon Girl as much as you like the Dragon Girl." Said Aoshi, once again surprising everybody by taking part in the conversation. (A/n: Sora is the Dragon Girl.)

"Hehe, really, Kenshin? Isn't it a bit early, I mean, you just met today and all." laughed Soujiro.

"Hey, how come we call the girls like that... you know, Megumi Fox, Misao Weasel, Sora Dragon, Kaoru Raccoon..."pondered Rikkuse, trying to think of a reason.

"You really are a baka. We call them that because that's what they look like. They have the personality of those creatures." Sano sighed hopelessly, thumping his younger brother on the head.

"Oh, so if I was to call you like that, I would call you rooster?" the golden-haired boy teased grinning like a madman, and then ran outside to the soccer field before Sano hit him again.

"That...little... I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE, RIKKUSE!"Sano yelled at his brother, as his friends snickered. As much ashe wanted to hit his baka of a brother, he didn't follow him. He wanted to talk to Kenshin.

"Aoshi, what creature are you like?" asked an innocent-looking Soujiro, and Aoshi just stood there thinking.

"I don't know. Maybe I would be... forget it." He said, getting up from the spot where he was sitting.

"YOU, the only thing YOU'RE like is an ICE CUBE!" exclaimed Sano, making motions as if cold.

"I think he should be a kodachi-wielding penguin!"chirped a smilingSoujiro.

"Guys, we can talk about this after soccer practice. Okay?" Begged Kenshin. The guys nodded and headed for the soccer field. All except Sano.

"Kenshin, you're trying not to fall in love with her, aren't you?" He asked Kenshin. Sano was Kenshin's absolute best friend and thereforeknew him best. He was like the brother Kenshin never had.

"Yes." Kenshin muttered, allowing his long bangs to shadow his eyes.

"It's because you think she would be in danger near you, considering your dark past, and your dangerous present, right?"

"Yeah. If she were near me, she would be in danger of the people who are looking for me. You know dangerous criminals are the ones looking for the Hitokiri Battousai." He said darkly. "And Shishio and his men are looking for me, and they'll hurt anyone who's near me."

"Explain to me again. How did you, of all people, become the dreaded assassin that was feared by every living thing in Japan three years ago but who later changed his ways to atone for his bloody past, using his name 'Battousai' ?" Sano rested his chin on the palm of his hand, looking at Kenshin intently.

"It all started with the death of my parents, when I was 14. I was in bed, trying to go to sleep, when I heard my mother scream. I came down as quickly as I could, and saw how a masked assassin ran his sword through my father. Then he did the same to my mother. All I could do was stand there, paralyzed by what happened. Then the man moved to me. I snapped out of it and grabbed my father's sword that was hanging from the wall. I fought that man, and he made one of the marks in my cheek. I was beating him, but somebody knocked me out from behind. And that's when they grabbed me. Shishio had heard of me, and thought that my Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu was a perfect technique for his assassinations. I was captured and was forced to become an assassin. A top assassin at that. I know I killed many important government officials. But I managed to escape, and my aunt Hikari and Sora took me in. They don't know that I was that assassin in the shadows or that I'm the Hitokiri Battousai. You and I are the only ones that know that the unknown manslayer, Kenshin Himura and Hitokiri Battousai are the same person, except Shishio and his men and... Never mind. Nobody else can know, Sano. I am seeking atonement for my bloody past."

"Well, don't worry. I'll always be there for you if you need me, buddy." Sano put his fist to his heart, as a sign of promise.

"Thanks, Sano. Now let's get going. Instructor Yuregi will be really mad at us, that he will." Kenshin said heading out the door.

"But Kenshin, are you gonna go for Kaoru?"

"I like her, Sano. She hates me. I don't think I even stand a chance."

Sano followed Kenshin to the field, feeling sorry for his friend. It wasn't fair to Kenshin that the only girl he's ever liked hates him for almost no reason at all. But maybe she really doesn't hate Kenshin. What if she was pretending? What if she LIKED Kenshin? He grinned to himself. His girlfriend's trusty best friend could get him all the answers he wanted. After all, she had also become best friends with Kaoru.

"Misao, get ready for some mayor undercover agent action."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaoru had just gotten home from school and was welcomed by Yahiko and Sayo.

"Welcome home, Kaoru. How was your day?" asked Sayo with a smile on her face.

"Not bad, but... I'VE NEVER BEEN SO EMBARRASSED IN MY WHOLE LIFE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I LOST TO HIM, OF ALL PEOPLE! Oh, Sayo, kendo was just awful." Kaoru practically whined, putting her hands to her head.

"Bet the good part of her day was when she ran into that guy this morning! Hehe!" Yahiko suddenly teased with a smirk.

Kaoru gaped at her younger brother. "Yahiko! Weren't you supposed to be on your way to school?" she argued hotly.

"I have to pass your school on my way, and I saw everything. How you crashed, made introductions, and you WALKED with him to school! And you were blushing a lot! Ha ha!" the black-haired boy snickered, his grin wickedly evil.

"Oh, really, Kaoru?" inquired Sayo, joining Yahiko in his teasing.

"Don't YOU start too, Sayo!"Kaoru snapped at her cousin. Sayo was supposed to be on HER side, not Yahiko's.

"Anyway, what happened in kendo? You couldn't have sucked. You're my SENSEI, for crying out loud!" yelled Yahiko. "Would you mind filling me in?"

"Yes, do tell." Sayo nodded even further.

"It was that guy! He made fun of me in kendo! He made a fool out of me, beating me in a match, and I couldn't even touch him. AND he's going to represent our school in the Neo-Japan Kendo Tournament." Kaoru said, crossing her arms angrily.

Yahiko let out a whistle as he crossed his arms behind his back. "Wowee. That guy must be something. He beat Kaoru like she was nothing, AND he's considered one of the best fighters in Japan too?" head.

Kaoru pouted. "Oooh, I HATE HIM!"

"You say he beat you, you didn't touch him, and he's participating in the Neo-Japan Kendo Tournament... Kaoru, can you describe him for me?" Sayo requested thoughtfully, with her finger to her cheek.

"Well, he has wild red hair tied in a low ponytail, these weird violet eyes, and an 'X marks the spot' scar on his left cheek."

Sayo's eyes widened the size of saucers. "You're not talking about Kenshin Himura!"

"The very same!"

"Oh, Kaoru! That's the guy I've been telling you about all winter!" the older girl squealed excitedly. Kaoru was take aback.

"Y...you mean Kenshin's the guy you liked!"

"Absolutely! He's a total SWEETIE, Kaoru! He's very kind, and the gentleman type too!" Sayo assured.

"But it can't be! Kenshin Himura and the guy you're talking about can't be the same person!" Kaoru insisted, shaking her head in disbelief.

"But he is. Kaoru, please don't hate him just because he beat you. I'm sure you'll like him a whole lot once you get to know him better!" her cousin assured. But Kaoru was as stubborn and hotheaded as ever.

"Never! He's a jerk and I'll never be in friendly terms with him. Never."

"But Kaoru, be reasonable..."

"You know what I've been through, Sayo. You know what's happened to me before. I'm afraid...Kenshin would do the same to me."

"Oh, Kaoru. Kenshin would never hurt anyone, unless he necessarily has to."

"I'll think about that." Kaoru let out a sigh of reluctant defeat.

Kaoru went up to her room, where the morning newspaper was lying. She couldn't help but smile. Yahiko knew how much the ritual of reading the newspaper when she got home from school meant to her. She used to read it with her father every day after school. He would sit on his favorite chair, and she would sit next to him. Then they would read together. Those memories with her parents... But they had been murdered. By Ji-nei Udo, also known as Kurogasa.

She sighed. How much she hated that guy. As much as she hated Kenshin. She sat on her bed and looked at the newspaper's headline: "Kurogasa strikes again." When will this guy stop killing? She sighed again. Kenshin and Kurogasa were alike in some ways... both their names started with 'K', both were skilled with a sword, and right now she hated them both. She sighed once more. She didn't feel like reading anymore. She needed something to get her mind off Kenshin and Kurogasa. She looked at her Raccoon Clock. It was 6:30! She was going to miss her favorite anime program! She eagerly went down and sat in front of the T.V., to watch "Rurouni Shinta: Wandering Samurai". (Sound familiar?) After watching the program, she fell deeply asleep.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Well, I hope you people liked this chapter. Now please press the nice button down there that says "Submit Review" and make Sora-chan happy!


	5. Kenshingumi at the Mall

Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own Kenshin, just the DVDs, Sora and Rikkuse.for now.

Chapter 5: Kenshingumi at the Mall!

A week and a day had passed, and it was Friday. Kaoru spent the whole time ignoring Kenshin, but she became friends with Sano, Rikkuse, and Soujiro, especially Soujiro. She spent a lot of time with him, because he was so understanding in the matter of everything. And she liked that he was smiling a gentle smile all the time. Kenshin noticed this and got a little upset. She had really meant it when she said she wasn't going to speak to him again.

"And she probably really hates me too." Kenshin thought to himself. He sighed and kept looking for Sano. Then Sano's familiar voice sounded behind him.

"Hey, what's wrong, Kenshin? Why are you so down?" he asked him, putting his hand on his shoulder. Kenshin just frowned even more.

"Nothing, Sano. Nothing's wrong. Everything's just going perfectly, that it is." He lied. Sano saw right through him, which wasn't very hard, considering the expression on Kenshin's face.

"Yeah, right. Listen, Kenshin. If that girl wants to be like that with you, then ignore her. There are plenty more fish in the sea." Sano told him, trying to cheer his buddy up.

"But Sano, you know it just isn't that easy."

"Man, right now you look so down that it would appear nothing could get your spirits up again. Cheer up! Listen, today I'm planning to go with the guys to the movies. Misao's bringing someone. And you know what that means, don't you?"

"What?"

"Kaoru is one of Misao's best friends, so Misao convinced her to come. How would you like to tag along?"

"What's the point? Kaoru will just pretend I'm not there or something, and that will make me more upset, that it will."

"I'll tell Misao and Soujiro to try and convince Kaoru to forgive you, okay? I'm sure she'll agree. Now, will you come, Kenshin? Please? Anyway, I don't think I can survive an evening in the mall withthree girls. Please?" He begged Kenshin, almost on his knees. Kenshin sighed.

"Although you won't be alone. Rikkuse and Soujiro are coming too. Butsince you sound so desperate... Alright, Sano. I'll do it for your sake."

"Alright!" Sano brightened immediately, a grinappearing on his handsome face."Look your best tonight, Kenshin!"

"What did I get myself into? Ororororo." Kenshin muttered, feeling dizzy already.

* * *

Later, Kaoru was talking with Misao on the phone, while getting ready to go to the movies. 

"Okay, explain this to me again, Misao. You're telling me that you and Soujiro want me to forgive Kenshin Himura?" Kaoru yelled at the receiver. Then Misao shot out from the other side of the line.

"Oh, C'mon Kaoru! Kenshin's a pretty nice guy. I'm sure he just wants to be friends with you and didn't mean to embarrass you or anything."

"Why are you asking me this?" Kaoru replied back, while drying her hair with her towel and looking at her face in the mirror.

"Because Kenshin's one of our best friends too, you know? And we like hanging out with him as much as with you. But if you don't forgive him, when we hang with you, we can't with him, and vice versa. Now, please, Kaoru. Will you forgive him?"

"Hmm, I'll think about it." She replied, hanging up and grabbing her brush from her dresser. She sighed and turned on her Raccoon Radio. As she brushed her hair, she listened to the words of the song.

_I hate you, I love you, I just can't remember to __forget you. _

_Who are you? Who needs you? __You make me feel alive!_

"Hmm. That seems familiar." She blushed. She knew that song resembled her. She says she hates Kenshin, when she really likes him a lot. She's always thinking of him, either in a hateful or cheerful way. Why couldn't she forgive him? Just because?

"It's because he beat me up in kendo." she thought to herself. Okay. That was stupid! She only hated him because he had beaten her? He was really nice, and a gentleman, and he was also cute. She made up her mind. She grabbed the phone and dialed Soujiro's number. He had been the first to call her, and she had told him she would call him when she made up her mind.

"Hello, who's this?" answered a voice from the receiver.

"Soujiro? It's me, Kaoru." She replied, happy that he was still at home.

"What's up? Did you make up your mind yet?"

"Well, I decided I'll forgive him if he shows he's worthy of being forgiven."

"And that means.if he asks for forgiveness, right?" Soujiro asked. On the other side of the line, Kaoru shook her head.

"Not just that. He must show me how good of a person he really is. I want to see if he really isn't a bad person."

"Oh, ok. Well, bye. I have to go. We'll be waiting for you at the mall. In front of the movie theater, alright?"

"Sure. Bye, Soujiro." She hung up. "I hope Kenshin asks to be forgiven. I really want to forgive him." she then brought her attention to getting dressed for tonight.

* * *

Later, at the mall: 

"Kenshin, we're so glad you decided to come!" said Megumi, winking at him as he joined the group. Kenshin just laughed sheepishly. He was wearing black jeans and a dark blue long-sleeve shirt. Around his neck was a silver chain with a dragon charm, the last present his mother had ever given him.

"Oh, you're looking fairly decent tonight, Kenshin!" Rikkuse teased.

"At least he dresses nicely all the time, unlike a certain someone we all know." Now it was Sora's turn to tease.

"Look who's talking, little Miss tomboy." Rikkuse stuck his tongue out at her.

"What was that?" she glared, cracking her knuckles menacingly. Rikkuse eeped andquickly hid behind Misao, but seeing it was no use, (Misao's too short) jumped behind Sano instead.

"Thanks, Sora. I'm glad YOU can control my baka brother. I know I can't." Sano laughed, grabbing Rikkuse by the collar.

"Well, Misao. How long is Kaoru gonna take, anyway?" Soujiro asked suddenly, catching everybody's attention.

"Kaoru's coming. Oh man. I'm in for one heck of a bad night, that I am." Kenshin groaned, shaking his head.

"Why do you say that, Kenshin?" Rikkuse asked. Boy, he sure is one for obvious questions.

"Why do you guys ask? You know that all she does when she sees me is turn her face at me, and talk to you guys, leaving me out of everything."

"Oh, don't worry, Kenshin. Maybe it'll be different." Said Sora.

Then finally, Kaoru entered the mall and ran over to the group.

"Hey, you guys. I'm sorry I'm late." She apologized. She was wearing red Capri pants, a black tank top, and black sandals. Her hair was tied up in a red ribbon, and she had on a silver bracelet with 6 small heart charms.

"I'll say. What were you doing?" Misao questioned.

"I had to make dinner for Yahiko before I left. I'm really sorry." (Poor Yahiko-chan)

"That's okay, Kaoru. Now let's go see some action!" Soujiro said, raising his fist in the air. Kaoru looked at the group, and she immediately spotted Kenshin.

"Didn't expect to see you here, Himura." She said, pretending to still be in bad terms with him.

"Trust me, I wasn't going to come in the first place, but Sora and Sano convinced me." Kenshin replied coldly.

"Aww, come on, Kaoru. Give him a break. You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you two are in love with each other!" Misao teased with a big silly grin.

"WHAT! THERE'S NO WAY I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM/HER!" they yelled at the same time, although blushing a little. Misao sweatdropped.

"Okay. Okay! That settles it. Let's just forget about that and go watch the movies!"

The rest of the evening passed without incidents, except when they came out and Rikkuse tried to scare Misao by sneaking up to her and he almost got skewered by her kunais. Then the group walked to the arcade to play some video games.

"Well, guys. What do you want to do first?" Sora asked.

"I don't know about you guys, but Kenshin and I have a score to settle in 'Dance Dance Revolution'. Let's go, Kenshin!" Sano said, dragging a swirly- eyed Kenshin with him.

"What about you, Misao?"

"I challenge Rikku to a game of air hockey!" She declared.

"Challenge accepted!"

"Me and Sora can tag-team with you guys, if that's okay." Kaoru said.

"That's okay, but what about you guys?" Rikkuse asked Megumi and Soujiro.

"We'll go be the audience in Sano and Kenshin's competition. Megumi sure will be rooting for Sano, so I guess I'll root for Kenshin." Soujiro said, him and Megumi starting to walk towards the 'Dance Dance Revolution' Machine.

"So, um, Rikkuse. Is Kenshin good at 'Dance Dance Revolution?'" Kaoru asked shyly.

"Are you kidding? Kenshin rocks! Nobody has ever beaten him! That's why Sano always challenges him, with the hope of being the first one to beat him." Rikkuse told her.

"Why do you ask, Kaoru?" said Misao with a sly grin, sort of like Sano's.

"Oh, I just wanted to know. That's all. Hey, do you think he's going to apologize to me some time in the near future?"

"If you want to forgive him that badly, then why don't you start by apologizing to him first?" asked Rikkuse, while trying to keep Misao from scoring a point.

"Apologize to him? For what?" Kaoru questioned.

"For what happened on the first day of school. He just wanted to be friends with you. You say you hate him 'cause he beat you that day. If I were you, I'd brag of having lasted those 5 minutes against HIM. He's a MONSTER with that sword!"

"But he embarrassed me in what I'm best at, kendo."

"He tried not to embarrass you too much. Trust me. That wasn't even 30 of his skills, what he used on you."

"Th.THIRTY PERCENT! WHAT IS HE, A DEMON! HE CAN'T POSSIBLY BE HUMAN!"

"Yep, I'm just really really tough." Kenshin said, approaching the group, a face-fallen Sano following after him.

"Let me guess. Sano lost again?" Misao guessed right. Sano had been creamed.

"Oh, well. I guess it's time for me to go home." Kaoru said, heading for the door.

"But, wait! You're going all alone? It's dangerous! Kurogasa might be near. It's better for us to go in pairs or something." Soujiro exclaimed.

"I'll be alright." Kaoru said, as she went out the doors.

"Well, let's go, Kenshin." Said Sora to her cousin, heading to the door too.

"Sora, you go on ahead. I need to do something." he told his cousin, who afterwards was pretending to be a little reluctant to go. Kenshin knew why.

"What are you doing?" she asked, worry reflecting in her violet eyes. "I really don't want to walk home on my own. No matter how good I am, I'm still afraid of Ji-nei Gudo."

"Hey, Rikkuse. Do you mind walking Sora home? I really don't want a girl to be alone at night with that murderer around. I know you'll take good care of her." Kenshin told Rikkuse, who thought it was all too good to be true. He was going to walk alone with Sora! Maybe now he could ask her what he'd wanted to all January.

"Hey, this might work to our advantage, Megumi. With my baka brother out of the way, we can take a nice romantic ride in my car. Hey, what do you think, babe?" Sano smiled at Megumi. All she could do was beam at him.

"It's settled then. Come on, Sora. I'll walk you home." Rikkuse told her, opening the door for her. She walked out, obviously feeling much safer. And besides, she thought she was lucky. She liked Rikkuse, after all. They had been friends their whole lives, living only a block from each other.

"Misao, I'll walk you, so you don't have to be alone. And besides, we ARE next-door neighbors, after all. What do you think?" Said Soujiro with his non-stop smiling. Misao eagerly agreed. The last thing she wanted was to encounter Kurogasa alone, with just her kunais and kenpo to protect her, which wouldn't be much help against this mad-man's Japanese sword.

"Well, see you guys on Monday." Said Kenshin, heading to a restroom to change clothes. Only Sano knew why. Then he set off the way Kaoru had gone.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Here's chapter 5. Now, remember to review, and if you can, read "Return of Kurogasa" and make Sora-chan happy!


	6. The Handsome Swordsman of Secrets: A Man...

I updated twice in the same day! Here's chapter 6:  
  
Disclaimer: You guys now it already, so I won't bother this time.  
  
Chapter 6: The Handsome Swordsman of Secrets: A Man who Fights for Justice  
  
Kaoru was still 4 blocks away from her house. She picked up the pace, trying to not let the dark eeriness get to her. She wanted to smack herself. How stupid could she be? How could she let herself walk alone at night, with not even as much as her shinai to protect her, with a lunatic murderer on the loose?  
  
"Stupid Kaoru! Man, I'm so stupid, Stupid, STUPID!" she scolded herself. Then she felt someone was after her. She panicked. What in the world was she supposed to do? She dodged into an alley, trying to lose him. Bad move. It was a dead end. She looked back. A man was standing at the entrance of the alley, perfectly fitting the description of Kurogasa. She trembled in fear. She was a goner for sure!  
  
"Well, well. What do we have here? My favorite type of victim! The pretty girl walking home alone in the darkness. You will become my victim number 100. Hahahahahahahaha." Ji-nei laughed as he grabbed her by the arm. She couldn't move, she couldn't scream. He had paralyzed her with his feared Shin no Ippou, the spell of frozen terror. Ji-nei was going to kill her and there was nothing she could do about it. Ji-nei lifted his sword and let it fall. Kaoru closed her eyes, awaiting the blade to cut through her, but it never came. Instead, she heard the sound of two swords clashing. She looked up, and saw Ji-nei on the floor, with a bewildered look on his face. Then Ji-nei looked at the shadows.  
  
"Who are you? Come out and show yourself." He hollered at the shadows. A figure dressed in black appeared from the darkest shadows. His body and face were almost completely covered in black clothing, except his hair and eyes. Kaoru could see he had blood-red hair and rare amber colored eyes that glowed in the darkness. She also noticed he wore a silver chain with a charm around his neck. The man in black stepped forward.  
  
"You will not touch this girl with even one inch of your dirty blade." Said the man in black, flashing his own sword at Ji-nei.  
  
"That voice. It sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before.?" Kaoru said to herself. She stared at the stranger's sword. Its blade was backwards. It must be a reverse-blade sword, she thought. She wished she could move, and run away from this alley as quickly as possible. But something told her she was safe as long as the amber-eyed man was there.  
  
"Who the heck are you? Tell me your name, warrior." Hollered Ji-nei once again, getting up.  
  
"I see no compelling reason to give my name to a bloody murderer such as yourself."  
  
"Oh? I smell.blood on you." Said Ji-nei slowly.  
  
"Shut up and fight." Said the guy in black as his amber eyes burnt.  
  
The two went into their different stances. They looked at each other, and in a split second, their swords clashed together. Then they disappeared again.  
  
"They're so fast I can't see them!" Kaoru lamented, as all she could see were blurs. Ji-nei repeatedly slashed at the man in black, who blocked every single slash. He kept attacking and the man in black kept blocking. Ji-nei even tried his Shin no Ippou on him, but the other fighter was so strong that he broke the spell in a split second. Then the man in black jumped back and sheathed his sword. Kaoru wondered why in the world did he do that. Then she saw why. Ji-nei charged at him with his sword raised, and just as he was about to touch the man in black, he unsheathed his sword with god-like speed. Then a crunching sound was heard, and Ji-nei fell to the ground. His arm was broken.  
  
"Hiten Mitsorugi Ryu, Battoujutsu." The man in black said, sheathing his sword again.  
  
"Wait, it's not over yet, boy." Ji-nei said, throwing a knife that caught the man in black off guard. It hit him in the arm. The guy winced as he pulled the knife off and blood trickled down his arm. Then Ji-nei blacked out. Kaoru felt herself able to move again. The first thing she did was take out her cell phone and call the police. She told them that Kurogasa was unconscious in an alley, gave them the address where to come pick him up, to finally put him behind bars. Then she looked at her savior. He was standing in the darkness, waiting for her to finish her call.  
  
"Are you alright, Miss?" he asked, in a tone of voice much sweeter than the one he had used with Ji-nei before, gently helping her get up.  
  
"Yes, thanks to you." Then she saw that their fingers were accidentally intertwined. Both of them saw this at the same time, and quickly withdrew their hands, blushing.  
  
"Well, you better go home now. Your family must be waiting for you." The man dressed in black said, after he stopped blushing. Kaoru noticed him holding his arm and wincing in pain.  
  
"Oh, my gosh! What happened to you? Oh, please, you must come to my house and let me tend to your wound! It's the least I can do to thank you for saving my life. Please come with me." She begged him. He had to accept. He wanted to make sure Kaoru made it back home safely.  
  
"Okay. I'll go, Miss."  
  
"Kaoru. I'm Kaoru Kamiya."  
  
They made it to Kaoru's house. Sayo and Yahiko were probably asleep, so she tried to make as little noise as possible. The man in black sat in the living room while she went to get the First Aid Kit. When she came back, she started to tend to his wounds.  
  
"It's a very nice place you've got here, Miss Kaoru." The man in black complimented. Kaoru just smiled.  
  
"You don't know how grateful I am that you saved my life." She said as she applied alcohol to his wound. He winced a little.  
  
"I think I can imagine."  
  
Kaoru noticed that the part she could see of the guy's face was really handsome. Oddly, his eyes weren't amber anymore. They looked like a blue- violet color, which she really liked. And that blood-red hair. To tell the truth, he DID look kind of familiar.  
  
"Hmm, you know, you DO look kind of familiar. Have we met somewhere before?" she asked, trying to get a better look of his face. The guy just sweatdropped.  
  
"I'm afraid not, Miss Kaoru." He said, trying to hide his face. "Kenshin, you baka." he thought, wanting to hit himself. STUPID of him to let his eyes change from amber to violet. STUPID STUPID!!  
  
"Are you sure? You look, like someone I know. That chain around your neck, this dragon charm. where have I seen it before." She continued.  
  
"Kenshin, you STUPID IDIOT! Why didn't I take off the chain? It's the same one I wore to the movies tonight! It'll be a miracle if she doesn't recognize me. Stupid BAKA!" Thought Kenshin, feeling like he deserved a big konk on the head. How could he be so careless? He had to get out of there now. "Um, Miss Kaoru... " he started.  
  
"Well, if you take that mask off, maybe I can tell you if I've seen you or not."  
  
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Miss Kaoru. You can't know who I am." he said, shaking his head. "Well, I have to go. Thanks to you, my wound will heal in no time."  
  
"Don't thank me. It is you who saved me, after all." He smiled at her, although she couldn't see it, and headed out the door. "Wait! Before you leave, can you at least tell me a name by what I can remember you by?"  
  
"It's Hitokiri Battousai." He said, disappearing into the nighttime shadows.  
  
"Hitokiri Battousai. I've heard of him. Protector of the Weak and the Oppressed. He saved many people from assassination or theft." She thought. He was like the local super-hero. While having vowed never to kill again, he protected the people of Tokyo. Nobody knew why he did it. Some said he was a lost soul seeking atonement for a bloody past. Others just said he was the Handsome Swordsman of Secrets. Whatever they said about him, Kaoru would never forget him, even if she never saw him again.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
Well, see you in a while. Probably on Friday. Now review and make Sora-chan happy. 


	7. Plans for a Sleepover

I'm back, once again! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially to my Okka-san and to my good buddy Zenki-chan. Thanks, guys!  
  
Disclaimer: So painful to say this. I don't own RK. But I do own Sora and Rikkuse; for now, only them.  
  
Chapter 7: Plans for a sleepover  
  
(A/n: This chapter is mostly conversation, but it's important. Please read carefully.)  
  
On Monday:  
  
"So, how did your 'important' business go, Kenshin?" Sano asked him almost at the end of the morning break.  
  
"I'm glad I went after her. Ji-nei would have killed her." Kenshin said, after making sure Kaoru wasn't around to hear that.  
  
"What?! You mean to tell me he actually attacked her?! Man, from now on, whenever you have a hunch, I'm gonna listen to you. It could save my life! So, what happened afterwards? Did she fall in love with her mysterious savior, the Man of Secrets, Hitokiri Battousai?" Sano said smirking.  
  
"Sano, she almost recognized me." Muttered Kenshin, looking straight at Sano's face.  
  
"Really, oh man! How did she notice? Well, of course there's not many people with long wild blood-red hair, but. You DID cover your scar, didn't you?"  
  
"Of course I did! But I was stupid enough to let her see my eyes change from amber to violet. I also forgot to take off my chain. And she probably thought my voice was familiar. I heard her, trying to remember where she had heard my voice before."  
  
"Well, you were lucky she didn't completely recognize you. Now, how'bout coming for some pizza tonight with us? No girls, just us guys. So, what do you think, Kenshin? Are you coming?" asked Sano, giving Kenshin a pat in the back.  
  
"No. I'm sorry, but I promised aunt Hikari that I would help her with the cleaning today. She's not feeling well, so she could really use my help." He declined as the bell rang.  
  
"Oh, well. See ya, Kenshin. I have a big History test now, and I hope I can remember what I studied. Oh, damn! I hate History! And, hey! Don't forget about Friday night! We'll be waiting for you!" Sano said, blending into a crowd of twelve-graders, sliding his arm over Megumi's shoulders, who looked up and kissed him in the cheek.  
  
"Hm, so much for History. He doesn't know how lucky he is he has a History test. I have a Physics test now, and although I studied hard, it will sure give everybody one heck of a bad day. I just don't get any of that stuff." Kenshin turned towards the Physics classroom when he bumped into someone, and their books fell in a heap to the floor. He turned to apologize.  
  
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." he muttered under his breath. Then he saw who he had bumped into. It was Kaoru.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Kenshin. It was my fault. I wasn't looking to where I was going. Oh, by any chance have you seen Sanosuke's sister, Tae? She told me this morning she wanted to talk to me, but I haven't seen her all day." Kaoru said, picking up her Geometry and English books (English is a second- language class).  
  
"Don't quote me, but I think she's in English now." Said Kenshin. The second bell would ring any minute now.  
  
"Thanks. See ya." Kaoru said, going her way. She left a stunned Kenshin behind.  
  
"Since when does she call me 'Kenshin' and not 'Himura'? She said 'see ya'? Huh? What the heck is going on here?" he said to himself. Then the bell rang. "Oh, shoot!" he said, as he used his god-like speed to reach the classroom and sit down just before the teacher came in.  
  
After school:  
  
"Hey, Tae! Over here!" waved Kaoru at Sanosuke's sister, who was standing next to a tall girl with green-tinted black hair. Both came over to Misao and Kaoru.  
  
"Hey there, Kaoru. I would like you to meet Shura. She's a very good friend of mine, and my next-door neighbor." Said Tae, introducing her friend to Kaoru. Misao knew Shura already.  
  
"Pleasure to meet you, Shura."  
  
"The pleasure's all mine. Well, Tae, apparently only Megumi is missing this little meeting of yours." Pointed out Shura.  
  
"Oh, that's okay. I'll have Sano tell her all the details, but she already knows. I told her last night."  
  
"So, what was it that you wanted to talk to us about?" asked Misao.  
  
"Well, you see, the thing is I'm planning to have a sleepover party on Friday and I was wondering if any of you wanted to come." Said Tae. Everybody seemed excited.  
  
"Oh, WOW! It's the first time you've made a sleepover at your house, Tae! It's gonna be awesome, I mean, your house is so HUGE! Count me IN!" said Misao, a lot more hyper than usual.  
  
"That sounds great! I'm sure going!" exclaimed Kaoru, raising her fist in the air. Shura just smiled and nodded in agreement.  
  
"But, hey. Isn't Sora coming too?" asked Misao, stopping her bouncing and lowering down her hyperness level.  
  
"Oh, she couldn't come. She and her mother had to go to Osaka for some family business. She excused herself, and promised not to miss the next party. So, does that mean I'll be seeing all of you on Friday at 8 o'clock?" asked Tae, clasping her hands together.  
  
"Yep!" said all three of her companions at the same time.  
  
Tae continued. "Oh, and by the way, Kaoru; Sano's friends are spending the night too, and he wanted to invite Yahiko so all of us could meet him personally. Besides, Tsubame would LOVE to have him over." Giggled Tae.  
  
"I'll bring him along. That's actually good because Sayo is going out with her boyfried Shouzo on Friday night, so Yahiko won't stay alone and wreck the place." Kaoru told them. "But, are you sure the boys won't mind to have us over too?"  
  
"Nah. It's just the gang. You know, Sano, Rikku, Soujiro, Aoshi and Kenshin."  
  
"Kenshin's gonna be there?" said Kaoru worriedly. She didn't hate him anymore, but she didn't want to face him. You know, she gets pretty nervous around him.  
  
"Yeah. Something wrong, Kaoru?"  
  
"Oh, nothing! Well, see you guys later!" Kaoru said heading to her house. She could hardly wait for it to be Friday. She was gonna have so much fun!  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
A bit short, so I'll update soon. Now, review and make Sora-chan happy! 


	8. Should you dare me, or should I tell you...

Gomen nasai to everyone for not being able to update sooner. See, the only computer with Internet in my house is my dad's laptop, and he's been taking it to work lately, so I haven't been able to use it. My classmates who read this fic know that so. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!! Here's the awaited.(fanfare music) CHAPTER 8!!!!!!!! Read, Enjoy and Review! (Or I'll send Zenki-sama to beat you up!)  
  
Disclaimer: Do I really have to? I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, but one day my Okka-san and Zenki-sama will buy it from Nobuhiro Watsuki and give it to me as a Birthday Present! (Life is good when you can dream.) But for now, I only own Sora, Rikkuse and Taiichi (Sora's little sister).  
  
Chapter 8: Should you dare me, or should I tell you the truth?  
  
It was finally Friday evening! Kaoru had Misao over at her house, who was helping her get ready for the Grand Sleepover at Tae's house. Misao was a lot more hyper than usual, and looked like she was about to bounce off the walls.  
  
"Oh wow, Oh Wow, Oh WOW! This is gonna be sooooooo awesome! And Aoshi-sama is gonna be there too! Oh YEAH! Woohoo! Yahoo!" exclaimed Misao, jumping up and down while a sweatdropping Kaoru sat looking at her from her bed.  
  
"Misao, you should calm down! You won't have any energy left for tonight if you keep this up!" Kaoru said, trying to hold Misao down.  
  
"I can't help it! I've never been at a sleepover at Tae's. But her room is HUGE! It has the biggest comfiest bed, the cutest cushions and the loveliest fluffy white carpet! Plus, she has AC in her room, and a ton of stuffed animals! The cutest one is a fluffy red kitty with purple eyes! The cutest I've ever seen in my life! It's so adorable!" said Misao, pretending to hug an invisible stuffed kitty.  
  
"Red, with purple eyes, huh? Reminds me of someone." muttered Kaoru to herself. Then she looked at her Raccoon Clock. It was 7:30. It was time to leave. "Well, Misao, let's get going. Yahiko, are you ready?" Kaoru yelled downstairs.  
  
"Yep, I'm ready. When are we leaving anyway?" said Yahiko, resting his head on his arms, as usual.  
  
"We're leaving now. Sayo, goodbye!" said Kaoru walking out the door, followed closely by Yahiko and Misao. Sayo answered from her room.  
  
"Okay! Don't forget to lock the door as you leave!" she yelled downstairs, as Kaoru locked the door with her key in her Raccoon Keychain (a gift from Megumi), and started for Sano's house. It was a few blocks away, so it would take them about 15 minutes to get there. The three set off.  
  
At Sano's place:  
  
"For the last time, Sano. Do we really have to do this?" asked a nervous Kenshin, looking at Sano, who was lying down in his bed looking at his big silver TV. Rikkuse was sitting in Sano's big red couch, watching TV, too. Aoshi was in a corner playing chess with Soujiro, who seemed to be winning spectacularly.  
  
"Oh, come on, Kenshin. Don't be such a wimp. We'll just hang out with the girls for a while. What's wrong with that?" Sano turned to Kenshin, who was sitting in the floor , apparently drawing in a sketchbook.  
  
"Kaoru. She's probably thought at least a thousand things she can do to make me feel miserable." He said, sighing.  
  
"Oh, come on, Kenshin. Give the girl some credit. She's not a witch, you know? She's actually very nice." Said Rikkuse, joining into the conversation.  
  
"That's because she doesn't hate you." He said, hugging his legs close to his body, curled up in a ball.  
  
"Who knows? For all we know, she could be in love with you." Smirked Sano.  
  
"WHAT?! I don't think that's possible. You'll dance the Macarena with Aoshi before the day Kaoru falls in love with me!" exclaimed Kenshin.  
  
"I don't want to dance the Macarena with this baka. I don't want to dance the Macarena at all. Take it back." Said Aoshi, looking up from his losing game.  
  
"You seem to be under the impression that Kaoru loves Kenshin, Ice Man." Sano pointed to Aoshi.  
  
"Don't call me Ice Man, Sano. I swear, it won't be pretty if I lose my patience."  
  
"I sure don't wanna be around when that happens!" laughed Soujiro, giving Aoshi a checkmate. "Looks like I win, Aoshi!"  
  
"Will someone PLEASE beat Soujiro in chess? No one seems to be able to beat him! Kenshin, you try!" Sano said, dragging his swirly-eyed friend to the chess table. "Your swordsmanship style's all about predicting stuff, right? Well, use it to BEAT SOUJIRO!!!!"  
  
"Ororororororororo." The doorbell rang.  
  
"Well, that must be either Weasel or Jou-chan and Yahiko-chan, so I'd better check. Be right back." Sano excused himself as he disappeared down the stairs.  
  
Down at the front door, Tae and Sano welcomed their guests.  
  
"Misao! Kaoru! We've been expecting you!" beamed Tae at them. Sano lowered himself to Yahiko's level.  
  
"Hey, there. You must be Yahiko. I'm Sanosuke." He said, holding out his hand to shake Yahiko's. Yahiko happily obliged. "You wanna have some fun with the big guys?"  
  
"Sure! As long as my ugly sister doesn't bother me! Oh, and one more thing. Don't call me Yahiko-chan!" Yahiko said, almost as hyper as Misao.  
  
"Sure, Yahiko-chan." Said Sano, receiving a glare from Yahiko. "What's your problem, you little brat?"  
  
"What'd you say? I'll get you for that!" yelled Yahiko as he jumped on Sano's head and started biting it.  
  
"Yahiko. Stop that!" said Kaoru, as she hit him on the head.  
  
"Ow! What'd you do that for, ugly?" he hollered.  
  
"What'd you call me?" said Kaoru as she glared Yahiko down. Yahiko got so scared he hid behind Sano.  
  
"Well, I'll take this guy with me. See you girls later. We'll hang out at about 9 o'clock, okay?" Sano told his sister.  
  
"Okay. Where?" Tae asked. She didn't want Sano's friends in her room, and Sano's room said 'No Girls Allowed, Except Megumi', so they had to meet some other place.  
  
"How 'bout. the attic? It's sort of like one huge bedroom, with TV, Playstation 2, AC, DVD, you name it!" Sano asked Kaoru and Misao.  
  
"Sure. That sounds great. Oh, and Sano, say hello to Soujiro and Rikku for me, 'kay?" Kaoru said to Sano, as he nodded and he and Yahiko disappeared up the stairs to Sano's room. Tae led her friends to her room.  
  
"Oh, WOW! Your room is so cool! It's so cute!!!" chirped Misao at a beaming Tae. Shura and Megumi were there already, reading some magazines on top of Tae's bed.  
  
"It's lovely, don't you think?" said Shura. Megumi agreed.  
  
"So, Tae. What are we gonna do tonight?" asked Kaoru looking around. "Well, we'll just have some fun on our own before we join the guys at 9. In the attic."  
  
"We're gonna have so much fun!" yelled Misao, raising her fist in the air. "I can't wait to see Aoshi-sama later tonight!"  
  
"And I want to see Sano!" added Megumi.  
  
"Hey, where's Tsubame?" asked Shura.  
  
"Oh, she's just getting something in her room."  
  
(A/n: Tsubame and Yahiko were in the same classroom in the same school, so they know each other already. And Yahiko already likes her and Tsubame already likes him. And their big sisters know. Just thought you should know. Keep reading! The fun is about to begin!)  
  
At 9:00 P.M., everyone was sitting in cushions or pillows in the attic room. Megumi was next to Sano, Misao had convinced Rikkuse to scoot so she could sit by Aoshi, Soujiro was sitting next to Tsubame, who was next to Yahiko. Next to him was Tae, who was next to Shura, who was next to Kaoru, who was (much to her dismay) next to Kenshin. When they sat, they looked at each other for a brief second, then turned away. (Hehe. Those two are stubborn, aren't they.?)  
  
"Okay, everyone! What do you suggest we do first?" Asked Tae, looking at everyone.  
  
"Hmm. How 'bout. Truth or Dare! That's gonna be fun!" exclaimed Rikkuse, receiving approving nods from everyone.  
  
"Well, who starts?" asked Misao.  
  
"You do, since you asked." Said Shura.  
  
"Okay, fine. Random order?"  
  
"Yeah. That way nobody will know when they'll be dared or asked something first." Said Kaoru, and everyone agreed.  
  
"Okay. Hmm. Soujiro. Truth or Dare?"  
  
"Truth."  
  
"Is it the truth that nobody has never ever beaten you in chess?"  
  
"Yep. It's the truth." Soujiro smiled.  
  
"I can vouch for that. He even beat Kenshin!" Sano said half-heartedly.  
  
"Okay. My turn. Sano. Truth or Dare."  
  
"Dare."  
  
"Hmm. That's a toughie. Sano, I dare you to dress like a chicken and do the chicken dance." Said Soujiro as everyone burst out laughing.  
  
"Do I have to?" he groaned.  
  
"Yep. Either that or you're out of the game!" exclaimed Misao, patting him on the back. Sano sighed.  
  
"Alright." Moment later, Sano appeared in the room wearing a chicken costume. "Why am I doing this?" he moaned as he did the chicken dance. Everyone was rolling in laughter. "I hate Soujiro." As soon as he finished, Sano quickly disappeared to take the stupid costume off, then reappeared, ready for his turn.  
  
"I'm back. STOP LAUGHING, YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!" Sano hollered as everyone quieted down. "Okay. That's better. Now, Kenshin. Truth or Dare."  
  
"Dare."  
  
"I dare you to do a triple back-flip in the air and land on your feet."  
  
"Oro?" Kenshin asked, unable to believe what Sano was asking him to do.  
  
"Whoa. A triple back-flip? Whoever's able to do that must be pretty amazing. I doubt that guy can do it." Said Yahiko.  
  
"Oh, don't be so quick to dismiss THIS guy. Knowing him, he'll probably do 4 back flips to prove to you he can do it." Pointed out Shura.  
  
"I'll give him five bucks. if he does five back flips." Smirked Yahiko.  
  
"Yahiko, stop it! It's Truth or Dare, not gambling!" scolded Kaoru at her younger brother. Yahiko stuck her tongue out at her, and she smashed him with her shinai, which magically appeared out of nowhere.  
  
"Oww. Whatcha do that for, ugly?"  
  
"Ugly?! Why you little.!" hollered Kaoru as she started Chasing Yahiko around the room as everyone sweatdropped. They finally settled down, but not before Yahiko got beaten up by Kaoru several times.  
  
"Whatever. So Kenshin. What's it gonna be? Five back flips and five bucks in your pocket, or is it Game Over for you?" asked Tae. As an answer, Kenshin jumped into the air and, to the amazement of everyone, especially Kaoru and Yahiko, did five perfect back flips and landed on his feet. Everybody started clapping at him.  
  
"WHOA!!!!!!! That was amazing! Do that again!" Yahiko said, jumping up and down excitedly, giving in the five bucks.  
  
"It's gonna cost you five more bucks." Kenshin said smirking. Yahiko checked his pockets, and shook his head.  
  
"Sorry, you broke me. Aww, man! And that's Monday's lunch money, too."  
  
"I'll share my lunch with you, Yahiko-chan." Said Tsubame timidly. Yahiko blushed.  
  
"Gee, thanks, Tsubame. But you don't have to if you don't want to. "  
  
"Cut the lover's spat short, Yahiko-chan! We have a game to play!" Cut in Sano.  
  
"What did you call me?" hollered Yahiko again as he started biting Sano's head off, again.  
  
"Stop that, Yahiko. You're gonna give me split ends!" complained Sano.  
  
"As if you needed them to look like a rooster-head! Haha!" teased Yahiko.  
  
"What did you call me, you little brat?"  
  
"I said 'ROOSTER-HEAD'. Hahahaha.!" Yahiko kept laughing.  
  
"You're gonna die!" Sano yelled, as he and Yahiko started fighting in a cloud of dust.  
  
"Hey, wasn't it my turn?" Kenshin interrupted.  
  
"Yep. Go for it, Kenshin!" Megumi cheered on, receiving a jealous look from Sano, who had left Yahiko swirly-eyed in the corner of the room.  
  
"Well, Misao, Truth or Dare."  
  
"Truth."  
  
"Okay, is it true that you had five scoops of ice cream with colored sprinkles, whipped cream, and ten cherries for breakfast?"  
  
"Yep!" Misao replied beaming. Everyone fell backwards suffering of severe sweatdrops.  
  
"No wonder she's more hyper than usual." Megumi mumbled. Everyone nodded in agreement.  
  
"Well, I guess it's my turn. Shura, Truth or Dare?"  
  
"Truth."  
  
"Shura, is it true that you are the leader of an evil pirate group who attacks ships and steals everything in sight?" Misao asked as Shura sweat- dropped.  
  
"Of course not! What makes you think that?"  
  
"Just asking. You never know."  
  
"My turn. Tae, Truth or Dare."  
  
"Dare."  
  
"I dare you to tell me if you really like the guy who asked you out today." Sano, Rikkuse and Tsubame's eyes seemed ready to bulge right off their faces. Tae blushed.  
  
"Well, the truth is."  
  
"Tae, a guy asked you out today, and you didn't tell us? Who was that guy, anyway?" asked Sano, cracking his knuckles.  
  
"Oh, you know him, Sano. He's one of the guys in your class, Tsunan Tsukioka." Said Tae, as her older brother calmed down.  
  
"Oh, that idiot Katsu. Then I guess that's alright." He said, sitting back and getting comfortable again.  
  
"So? The truth is." begged Misao at Tae.  
  
"Yeah, I like him."  
  
"Okay, guess it's your turn." Said Shura, apparently pleased with herself.  
  
"Okay. Kaoru, Truth or Dare." Kaoru, afraid of being asked if she liked someone, decided to do a dare. "Okay. I dare you to. whack my big brother on the head and then call him chicken-head."  
  
"Okay." Sano flinched and tried to hide himself, but received a conk from Kaoru that had him 'Oro'ing like Kenshin, then Kaoru called him chicken head and burst out laughing.  
  
"Jou-chan, you're gonna pay for this." he mumbled to himself, as Megumi examined the huge bump on his head. "OW!!!!!!!!!!! That hurt!"  
  
"Your turn, Kaoru." Said Aoshi, much to the surprise of everyone. (You know, for the fact that he TALKED!!)  
  
"Okay. Soujiro. Truth or Dare."  
  
"Truth."  
  
"I'm gonna ask you something, and you have to tell me the absolute truth."  
  
"Eh, okay."  
  
"Tell everyone here. What's your favorite kind of pizza?"  
  
"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary. Just pepperoni, anchovies, pineapple, strawberries and chocolate chips." He smiled, as everyone fell backwards sweat-dropping once again. "Did I say something weird?"  
  
"Never mind, Sou. Your turn." Beckoned Kaoru as Soujiro smiled more broadly.  
  
"Okay. Sano, Truth or Dare?"  
  
"Dare." Sano growled.  
  
"I dare you to dance the Macarena with Aoshi." Everyone started laughing, trying to imagine Sano and Aoshi doing the Macarena.  
  
"Everyone's picking on me today. Do I have to?"  
  
"Either that, or you're out and you won't get revenge on Soujiro." Declared Yahiko.  
  
"Oh, alright." Sano groaned. "Aoshi, get your butt over here. We're dancing."  
  
"I will NOT dance the Macarena."  
  
"Yes you will!"  
  
"I won't."  
  
"Sou, he won't dance with me. Do something." Sano begged, not wanting out on the game yet.  
  
"Okay. Then dance the Macarena with Kenshin." He said, as Kenshin sweatdropped.  
  
"I don't wanna dance with you, that I most certainly don't, Sano. I WON'T dance the Macarena."  
  
Moments later.  
  
"I hate Soujiro." Mumbled Sano.  
  
Kenshin and Sano were in the middle of the room, dancing the Macarena, and everyone was laughing their heads off. As the song finished, (which lasted a torturing 5 minutes with 45 seconds), they quickly sat down, blushing.  
  
"I'm.never.gonna.do.that.again." huffed Kenshin, as Sano agreed.  
  
"Well, my turn."  
  
And the game went on for a couple of hours, everyone doing the most hilarious stuff in Dares, or spilling the beans in Truth. Finally, around midnight, the game was coming to its end. The remaining people were Misao, Yahiko, Kaoru and Kenshin. Everyone else had surrendered. The last person who's turn was it was Yahiko. He was referring to Misao.  
  
"Ugly, Truth or Dare."  
  
"I definitely don't know who he's talking to. Do you see any ugly people around?" she said, looking around the room.  
  
"All I know is I see a bunch of ugly girls sitting around me. AHH!" Six hands appeared out of nowhere, and slammed Yahiko hard. He was swirly-eyed, with six big bumps on the top of his head.  
  
"So much for that one. I'll finish the game. Kaoru, Truth or Dare."  
  
"Dare."  
  
"I dare you to. kiss Kenshin."  
  
"WHAT??????!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Kenshin and Kaoru at the same time, blushing bright red.  
  
"You heard the girl. You have to kiss Himura." Said Aoshi, to Misao's delight to have her Aoshi-sama on her side.  
  
"What if I don't want to?" Kaoru whined.  
  
"Come on. Megumi kissed Sano." Said Misao.  
  
"But they're boyfriend and girlfriend. Kenshin and I are not!"  
  
"Yeah, and what if I don't want to be kissed?" added Kenshin.  
  
"Then you have to give up. Come on. It can be on the cheek. Give him a peck in the cheek and be one of the winners, or give up and join the losers."  
  
"Oh, alright." She said, looking at Kenshin. She quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek and turned to the other side. "Good thing Yahiko didn't see that." Their faces were so red they rivaled Kenshin's hair. Then the game was over.  
  
"AND THE WINNERS ARE MISAO, KENSHIN AND KAORU!!!!!!" Misao fanfared, as everyone started downstairs, eager to go to bed. She bounced down the stairs, followed by a now drowsy Kaoru. Kenshin lingered behind with Sano.  
  
"So, how was it, Kenshin?" Sano asked his sleepy buddy.  
  
"What was?"  
  
"The kiss."  
  
"Nothing out of the ordinary."  
  
"Except you were blushing so much, you started to match your hair."  
  
"Well, I never thought she would actually kiss me. That's all." He answered, giving a huge YAWN. "Well, goodnight Sano."  
  
"Good night, Kenshin."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
So, did you like it? Or did I suck? Press the nice button down there that says "Review" and make Sora-chan happy (and eager to post the next chapter). ^_^x 


	9. Sk8 Park Mayhem

Oh, WOW! I can't believe I have so many reviews! You guys are probably the reason why I get inspired to write this fic! Now, to all you great reviewers out there, (and readers too. In case you're too cruel to leave a review.) here's chapter 9!  
  
Disclaimer: I'm tired of this, so. you know what it is anyway so. forget it.  
  
Chapter 9: Sk8 Park Mayhem  
  
It was a week from Saturday. Kenshin and his gumi (group) were walking to the skate park, to have some fun. Kaoru wasn't coming, but Misao and Tae brought their roller blades, Sora and Shura brought their skateboards, and Megumi just tagged along. None of the girls, except Kaoru, obviously, would miss a chance to hang out in the skate park with their skateboarding "Masters". As the group entered the skate park, they could hear excited whispering around them.  
  
"Hey, check out those guys. They look like skateboarding material." whispered one boy to his friend.  
  
"Yeah, and check out those gorgeous girls with them. They MUST be good." He whispered back. On the other side, girls were whispering their share too.  
  
"Oh, wow! Check out the guy with the red hair. He's so HOT!" said one girl.  
  
"Yeah. The X-shaped scar on his cheek makes him look even more sexy!" a girl next to her agreed.  
  
"I think his name's Kenshin Himura. Hey, isn't that Rikkuse Sagara? He's sooo dreamy!" sighed a third girl, receiving a jealous look from her boyfriend.  
  
Back at the group, the guys were smirking. They were almost being worshiped, and they liked it. Megumi, seeing the look a blond girl was giving HER Sano, immediately clutched his arm, and Sano put his arm around her shoulders. The girl gave a sigh of disappointment; Sano was taken already.  
  
"Hey, guys! Whadda you say we show off a little?" smirked Kenshin at his companions.  
  
"Sounds good to me! Let's go for it. Let's show them what a Himura can do!" exclaimed Sora.  
  
"Hey, don't forget the Sagara Bros.!" Said Sano and Rikku in unison. Aoshi, Shura and Soujiro just followed them.  
  
After getting ready, they slid on their boards to the half pipe. Each one of them did their signature tricks, receiving looks of awe from all the people who saw them. They enjoyed the attention. They were doing ollies, hand plants, foot plants, inverts and board flips, while the surrounding crowd cheered them on. Meanwhile, Misao and Tae were talking and skating across the park, without a worry in the world.  
  
After a while of doing tricks, the gumi settled down to rest for a while. Then another group of skateboarders, looking more like a gang of bullies, approached them, with nasty grins and smirks on their faces.  
  
"Hey, this is our turf. Now beat it, kiddies." Said the guy in the middle, obviously the leader of the group.  
  
"I'm afraid we're not going anywhere. This has been our turf for the past 7 years, and nobody's taking it away from us." Replied Aoshi, giving them a cold glare. (Oooh. Kodachi-wielding penguin. Hehe.)  
  
"Show some respect to the boss. Who the heck do you think you guys are?" said one of the biggest (and fattest) guys.  
  
"We're the Kenshingumi." Said Rikkuse, crossing his arms.  
  
"I'm Rink Sadaharu, the leader of this group. Which of you pathetic fools is the leader of the Kenshingumi?" he asked in a tone that made them want to kill him.  
  
"He is. Kenshin Himura." Sano said, lightly pushing Kenshin to the front of the group  
  
"THIS wimpy thing? He looks as frail and thin as a girl. He probably skates like one too." Rink said smirking.  
  
"Take that back, you jerk!" yelled Misao as she and Tae appeared on the scene. They had been watching from a distance, and Misao was getting ticked off. (You know. she has her scary face and all.)  
  
"Who the heck are you, Weasel Girl?" Rink sneered, and Misao got totally p***ed.  
  
"What did you just call me?" she screamed at the top of her lungs, making the whole sk8 park rumble.  
  
"You heard him, Weasel Girl!" said another one of the guys, and Misao started to look like a monster.  
  
"Umm, is it just me, or is this about to get ugly?" whispered Rikkuse, as everybody nodded.  
  
"Take cover!" yelled Sano, as everybody took cover.  
  
"You're gonna pay, you big knucklehead!" yelled Misao as she started beating the guys up one by one. First, she punched the lights out of the guy who called her weasel girl after Rink.  
  
"Haaaa! Take this!" she yelled as she kicked the heck out of everybody else. After she was done, she faced Rink.  
  
"It's just you and me, Knucklehead." She smiled triumphantly.  
  
"Ha! You think I'm scared of you, Weasel Girl?" Rink sneered.  
  
"As an answer, Misao hit him over the head with her roller blades.  
  
"Ouch. THAT HURT!" hollered Rink as he got up. "You're pretty strong for a girl. I guess I'll leave you alone. You idiots, get up!" he hollered as his henchmen started to stir.  
  
"Hey, and the rest of us, we're ALL Martial Arts Masters in our own styles. We can kick your butt from here to Venus! Now get out of our sight." He ordered, while the other guys scrambled to get out of their sight. Everyone burst out laughing.  
  
"I love it when they do that!" laughed Shura.  
  
"Yeah! Girl Power, Misao!" exclaimed Sora as she high-fived Misao.  
  
"We're in complete command!" proclaimed Sanosuke.  
  
"No fools like that will ever reign on OUR turf, right guys?" confirmed Kenshin.  
  
"YEAH!!!!!!!!!"  
  
After that, they went to treat themselves to pizza. And yes, Soujiro had a pepperoni anchovies pineapple strawberries chocolate chip pizza.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
I know It came out a bit weird, but then, I'm weird too, so it all rounds out in the end. Now please, REVIEW!!! If you do, I'll post chapter 10 on Sunday or Monday! 


	10. Shock! Kaoru's Feelings Revealed

Yipee! I finally made it to 100 reviews! Thank you so much guys! Here's chapter 10 for you! Read and Enjoy! (Review afterwards! ^_^x)  
  
Chapter 10: Shock! Kaoru's Feelings Revealed  
  
It was Wednesday, February 12, and everyone was talking excitedly about the up-coming Valentine's Day Dance. The Dance would start after lunchtime, meaning kendo was cancelled. There were supposed to be many chocolates and sweets, the most up-to-date music, and tons of fun things that our high schoolers would expect. Several awards would be given, such as the hottest guy, the prettiest girl, the hottest couple of the year, the most uncontrollable hyperness, and the most innocent-looking guy and girl. Everyone seemed anxious for that day to come, except a select few students.  
  
Kenshin was at Sano's place spending the afternoon, since his aunt and cousin were at Sora's soccer practices (Kenshin's practices were different days). They were in Sano's room, Sano on his bed and Kenshin on the big red couch.  
  
"So, Kenshin. Do you have a partner for the V-day's Dance?" asked Sano, munching on some Triple Cs (chocolate chip cookies) and reading a magazine at the same time.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't." Kenshin said sadly, shaking his head.  
  
"What's wrong? Nobody has asked you yet?"  
  
"Are you kidding? I think almost every single girl in the school has asked me out." He said, sounding exasperated.  
  
"Then what's the problem?" Sano asked with his mouth full.  
  
"THAT THE ONLY GIRL I WANT TO GO WITH DOESN'T EVEN LOOK AT ME, THAT'S THE PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!" Kenshin yelled out of frustration.  
  
"Oh. That. Well, have you tried asking her yet?"  
  
"I can't. She'll just yell at me or something, and say something along the lines of "Of course I won't go with you, you jerk! When are you gonna understand I hate you?" said Kenshin, imitating Kaoru perfectly, then looking down.  
  
"Man! A month ago, your life was perfect! But since Kaoru literally stumbled into your life, you've been, well, not yourself. You had never liked any girls before. And you were never after one; they were all after you." Sano reminded him as he turned on his big silver TV. They were showing 'Beyblade'. Kenshin, feeling a little better, sat to watch.  
  
"These are the only two things that make my weekdays worthwhile nowadays: Beyblade and Rurouni Shinta: Wandering Samurai. I'm too lazy to wake up at 1 A.M. to see Trigun."  
  
"Hmm, speaking of Rurouni Shinta, have you noticed that you and Shinta look somewhat alike? In fact, it's like they put your hair, eyes and complexion on an anime character!"  
  
"Right? That's what I've been thinking. And the girl from the dojo, Sakura (Sorry. I couldn't think of another name right now.), looks a lot like Kaoru. Too bad she's not like Sakura and I'm not like Shinta. Sakura loves Shinta."  
  
"I guess you two just weren't meant to be." Sano said, concentrating on the show and stuffing his face with some fudge brownies this time. Kenshin just sighed and sat back to watch as well.  
  
Meanwhile, at Misao's house:  
  
Misao was lying on her bed, listening to her favorite 'Avril Lavigne' CD, and singing along. She was half-way singing Sk8ter Boi, thinking about Aoshi and the Valentine's Day Dance, when her mother opened the door.  
  
"Misao, a friend of yours is here. Kaoru, I think." Said Misao's mom when Misao took off the headphones.  
  
"Okay. Send her right up! I'm expecting her. I have SOOOOOO much to tell her!" she said, getting right up.  
  
"Okay, sweetie." Said her mom as she disappeared out the door. Moments later, Kaoru came through the door.  
  
"Hey there, Misao." Said Kaoru cheerfully as she took a seat next to Misao.  
  
"Oh, Kaoru, I have so much to tell you! Guess what, guess what, GUESS WHAT!!!" Misao said jumping up and down on her bed, causing Kaoru to bounce.  
  
"What? What are you so excited about?"  
  
"Guess who asked me to the V-day's Dance!" Misao exclaimed in her usual 'hyperness'.  
  
"Who?" she asked, trying to imagine who would have the guts to ask THIS firecracker out.  
  
"Aoshi!!!!!" replied Misao, now bouncing in the floor.  
  
"AOSHI?!"  
  
"Yep! He came over to me at lunchtime and asked me! I'm sooooo EXCITED!"  
  
"I'm so happy for you!" said Kaoru smiling at her bouncy friend. Then she started to think of her own partner.nobody. How she wished.if only he would ask her.but he wouldn't.not after what she had said to him.  
  
"Who are you going with, Kaoru?" asked Misao turning to her friend.  
  
"Me? Oh, I am.well.the thing is." she started, but then noticed the look Misao gave her and decided to spill it. "I don't have a partner."  
  
"Oh, really? That's not right. Has somebody asked you yet?"  
  
"Yeah, some guys from school, but since I don't know them really good, I'm a bit reluctant."  
  
"Did you try asking one of our guys, see if they were free?"  
  
"Sano's going with Megumi, obviously. Aoshi's with you, Rikkuse's with Sora, Soujiro's with Shura."  
  
"That leaves Kenshin." Misao said smiling. "Have you tried him yet?"  
  
"I couldn't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Don't you remember the awful things I said to him on the first day, and every other day, and at school, and the movies and." she said at full speed. " He must think I really hate him."  
  
"Well, you DID tell him that you hated him." said Misao thoughtfully.  
  
"I know!" Kaoru sighed.  
  
"But, did you mean it?"  
  
"Of course not! I don't know what got over me! The truth is I." she shut her mouth, realizing what she almost let out.  
  
"What's the truth?" Misao inquired. "Come on! Tell me! I won't laugh or anything. We're best buddies. Come on. Please?" she begged.  
  
Kaoru sighed. "Okay. The truth is I like him.a lot." She said, blushing a little.  
  
"Really? You like him, for real?" Misao said, excited.  
  
"Yeah, I do. But how can I ever face him again? How can I ask him to go with me? Just say. 'Oh, Kenshin. I'm sorry. I don't hate you, I love you. Will you go with me to the dance?' Can I?"  
  
"You could give it a try."  
  
"No way! I can't do that. I've hurt him too much. And he's really nice. I don't deserve him. I'm just a witch." She said, hitting herself.  
  
"Stop it! Don't do that, you'll only get hurt and that won't solve anything. You have to think of a way to apologize to him. You still have two days." Misao said, holding Kaoru's hand to prevent her from hitting herself more.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Trust me. You know what? What do you say we take a walk at the park tomorrow after school? They fixed the fountains and they're really pretty. That will cheer you up." Said Misao. Kaoru was amazed at how fast Misao had been able to change the subject. She decided to drop it. She would only make herself unhappy. So she and Misao spent the rest of the evening talking about clothes, kendo and the Oniwaban Group Manga.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
Well, that was chapter 10. I want to thank you all again for your terrific support. Also, I want you to know that I might (not for sure, but I can) fall behind schedule updating since I'm starting to work on a Zoids fic. But I promise guys, that I WILL FINISH THIS FIC!!!!! I will appreciate any ideas you guys want to share with me.Thank you! Now, Press the nice button that says "Submit Review", please! ^_^x 


	11. The Truth Uncovered

Chapter 11: The Truth Uncovered  
  
It was Thursday in the afternoon, and Misao and Kaoru were walking in the park, looking at the birds and trees, and admiring the gorgeous new fountains.  
  
(A/n: I'm feeling descriptive today, so I'll describe what everyone's wearing today.)  
  
Kaoru was wearing a white tank top, jean capri pants, and white sneakers, with her hair tied up in a white ribbon. Misao was wearing a dark blue t- shirt, jean shorts and sneakers too, her hair in the usual braid.  
  
They saw many small kids with their parents, which were watching over their children as they rode bicycles and skooters. The children laughed happily, and Kaoru watched with a little bit of jealousy. She wished so much she could be with her parents right now. She sat under a tree, and laid back on the grass as Misao sat next to her.  
  
"What's wrong, Kaoru? Is there something on your mind?" asked Misao, obvious concern in her voice. "You're not thinking about the dance, are you?" Kaoru shook her head.  
  
"I was thinking how happy these kids must feel of having their parents with them." She said, with a small smile.  
  
"Oh, Kaoru. I had forgotten about that. Maybe it was a bad idea to come here."  
  
"No, it's okay. Just sit back and relax, Misao." Kaoru said, looking at Misao with a true smile. Misao laid back, admiring the blue sky and the birds and everything.  
  
Meanwhile, somewhere near the park, Rikkuse and Kenshin were walking home from the skate park. Rikkuse was wearing a red t-shirt with a spirit dragon graphic design, baggy black pants, sneakers and his lion-charmed chain around his neck. His spiky golden hair was a bit messed up, making it look spikier than usual. But he looked hot all the same. Kenshin was wearing a black sleeve-less t-shirt, baggy dark blue pants, bike gloves and sneakers. Around his neck he wore the silver dragon-charm chain. Both had their skateboards under their arms, and were talking.  
  
"So, Kenshin. Have you asked Kaoru yet?" said Rikku, as he dodged a man who almost ran into him. "Hey, watch where you're going!" he yelled at the man.  
  
"No. It's just not as simple as you and Sora. At least you two are best friends." Kenshin said, blowing at one of his red bangs, which was prickling his nose.  
  
"Hmm, okay. Well, I guess it's a bit late. I mean, the dance is tomorrow." Said Rikkuse, putting his free hand on his chin, as if thinking.  
  
"What do you say we stop by for some ice cream? I could really use a cold snack right about now. We're all hot and you're all sweaty."  
  
"Yeah. Who knew today would be so sunny? I'd be surprised if I didn't get a tan. Anyway, I'm all for ice cream." Said Rikkuse, wiping a bead of sweat of his forehead.  
  
"What flavor are you gonna have? Don't tell me; strawberry, rum raisin, vanilla, sherbet, chocolate chip, fudge with rainbow sprinkles?" said Kenshin sweatdropping.  
  
"Gosh, Kenshin. Not even I remember all of my favorite flavors. But when I do remember to ask for all of them, they taste even better. I'll have all of them." Grinned Rikkuse as Kenshin sweatdropped even more.  
  
"How can he be so thin." mumbled Kenshin as they headed for the ice cream stand.  
  
Back at the park, Kaoru and Misao were getting up, when Kaoru noticed a little girl walking right into the middle of the street!  
  
"Misao, that little girl is in danger. She shouldn't be in the middle if the street like that. Wait here. I'll go get her." Kaoru said as she dashed to the little girl. Misao just stood there waiting and watching.  
  
The little girl was standing in the middle of the street, holding a white kitten closely. Kaoru finally made it to the little girl's side.  
  
"Hey. It's dangerous for you to be here. Please go to the sidewalk, okay?" she told the girl in her sweetest tone.  
  
"Okay. I was just getting my kitty." Smiled the little girl as she walked to the sidewalk and ran off.  
  
Kaoru watched her off smiling, when suddenly she heard a car horn somewhere behind her. She turned around. There was a speeding car headed straight for her! She tried but she couldn't move out of the path of the car. She was paralyzed in fear.  
  
"Kaoru, watch out!" yelled Misao from the sidewalk. But Kaoru just couldn't move. And her voice had disappeared.  
  
At that very moment, Kenshin and Rikkuse were walking down the sidewalk next to that street. Kenshin got a feeling and looked over to the street. Kaoru was standing in the middle of the street and there was a speeding car headed straight for her! Why didn't she move? Wait, she could be so scared she couldn't move. He didn't waste a second. He didn't bother pointing it out to Rikku.  
  
"Oh, no! Kaoru!" Kenshin thought. He had to act quickly. As quickly as he could, he literally disappeared from Rikkuse's side.  
  
"Huh? Where did Kenshin go?" he said, looking to the street. What he saw almost made him jump out of his skin. Kaoru was going to be run over by a car! "Kaoru, move out of the way!" he yelled from the spot.  
  
"What's happening to my body? Why can't I move? Is this the end for me?" Kaoru said as she braced herself for impact. But it never came. Just as she was about to get hit by the car, she felt herself held by very strong but very gentle arms. She opened her eyes. She was in Kenshin's arms, and she was resting her head against his chest. They were in the sidewalk.  
  
"K.Kenshin." She managed to say before she fainted.  
  
"I didn't I could run that damn fast. I know my speed isn't average, but I think I just surpassed my record a few moments ago. But I made it just in time. I hope she'll be alright." Thought Kenshin to himself, as he looked down at Kaoru.  
  
"Kaoru! Oh, Kenshin, thank goodness you were around! I swear, you were further away from her than me, but you were so fast I couldn't even see you!" said an excited Misao as Rikkuse made his way over to them.  
  
"Whoa, that was close! And, Kenshin, I don't think I've ever seen you move so fast in my entire life!" said Rikkuse sighing in relief.  
  
" And I never want to again. Misao, will she be okay?" Kenshin asked as he looked at the unconscious girl in his arms again.  
  
"Yeah, she's just shocked. I mean, she could have died! But YOU saved her. Thank you so MUCH, Kenshin!" exclaimed Misao as she hugged Kenshin as best as she could.  
  
"Shouldn't we take her home or something?" interrupted Rikkuse.  
  
"Yeah. Misao, do you know where we can find Sayo or Yahiko?"  
  
"I have a spare key to her house. Sayo and Yahiko are not home since they're each staying over at a friend's house, so I'll stay for a while. She'll wake up soon enough."  
  
"I'll stay with you."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"No, you go home, Rikku. Kenshin and I will handle this, okay?" said Misao winking at Rikkuse.  
  
"Oh, okay. Sure. See you tomorrow, guys." Said Rikku as he got on his skateboard and lost himself among the people in the street.  
  
"Well, let's take Kaoru home." Said Kenshin and Misao nodded.  
  
A couple of hours later, Kaoru woke up in her bed. Misao had left a while ago. In a chair next to the bed was Kenshin, who had obviously fallen asleep watching over her. He had saved her, even though she hadn't forgiven him yet. She knew he thought she hated him, and even though it was painful for him, he didn't act in an ill-full manner when he directed to her. She felt like hitting herself. She knew from the first day she met him, that she was in love with Kenshin, but her stupid pride made her show completely the opposite. She didn't deserve to even be friends with him. He was just. so kind and gentle... These were her thoughts when Kenshin began to stir.  
  
"Hmm, Kaoru?" said a sleepy Kenshin as he stretched,  
  
"Kenshin. Why did you save me?" Kaoru said looking down.  
  
"Huh? Why do you say that?" He said, putting his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"I mean, I was about to run over, and you could have been."  
  
Kaoru couldn't control herself and burst out sobbing. Kenshin pulled her into his arms and tried to calm her down, rubbing her back with a gentleness only he could possess.  
  
"I.It's all my fault. I was so terrible to you, and I said I hated you but you come along and save my life, then spend hours on end watching over me. I'm so sorry of everything I've said. Will you ever be able to forgive me, Kenshin?"  
  
"There's nothing more I would like right now." He assured her.  
  
"Thank you, Kenshin." She said, looking up. She saw the same blue-violet eyes she had seen on Battousai the night he had saved her. And she noticed the dragon-charmed chain around his neck. Then it hit her.  
  
"Battousai?" she asked softly, almost in a whisper.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
Ha! Cliffhanger! Okka-san won't be too happy about this one. Well, I hope you guys liked it. I want to give special thanks to my schoolmates Okka-san and Zenki-sama (I tried to make this chapter the longest I could, to please you), for encouraging me to keep writing, and to all the other readers and writers of fanfiction.net. And one more thing: Jasmine (Battousai's Goddess): You're story rocks, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Everyone, I suggest you all check out her fic, First Day of School, and Love at First Sight. The title says it all, and it's really good! Now, for both of us, REVIEW, ONEGAI! ^_^x 


	12. Forgiveness

WARNING: This chapter is extremely short, and extremely WAFFy. About the shortness, Zenki-sama, please don't kill me! ^_^x  
  
Disclaimer: Why do I even bother? Don't own the Kenshingumi, or the rest of Nobuhiro Watsuki-sensei's cast. Just my characters.  
  
Chapter 12: Forgiveness  
  
"Kenshin, you are Battousai, aren't you?" Kaoru said softly, grabbing onto his shirt and gazing at his violet eyes. "I've seen your eyes turn amber, and also blue-violet. And you have the same red hair, and his features match you perfectly. And you have the same chain and charm. It IS you, isn't it?" she questioned, as Kenshin averted his gaze from her.  
  
Kaoru's heart started beating fast. Was Kenshin really Battousai? He HAD to be. Unless Kenshin had a twin. She wanted an answer, so she made him turn to face her.  
  
"Kenshin, please. Tell me. It was you, wasn't it?" she said softly, and Kenshin sighed.  
  
"Yes, Kaoru. I was the one who fought against Kurogasa." he started.  
  
"And saved my life." She finished. "Oh, Kenshin. Why did you, even though I was so awful to you?"  
  
"Because you are the person I care for most in the entire Universe. I couldn't forgive myself if something ever happened to you, no matter how much you hate me." He answered, looking down.  
  
"Kenshin?" Kaoru put her hand on his, making him blush a little and look at her. He looked so kawaii when he blushed like that! It almost made her want to.  
  
"Ah.I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I have to go." He said, heading out of Kaoru's room.  
  
"Kenshin..." she said, then she stood up, and followed him out the door.  
  
Kaoru escorted Kenshin downstairs and out the front door. Then Kenshin just stood there on the steps of the porch.  
  
"Um, Kaoru." he started, fidgeting with his fingers and blushing a little, although Kaoru couldn't tell in the darkness.  
  
"Yes?" Kaoru said expectantly, feeling her heart start beating fast.  
  
"Um, I guess I just wanted to say.Good night." He said, unable to say what he really wanted to say. Kaoru looked a little disappointed.  
  
"Oh. You too." She said, sounding VERY disappointed.  
  
Kaoru stepped out and hugged him, wishing she didn't have to let go. Then she looked up at him, and he looked down. Without being able to stop, they got closer and closer until Kaoru felt Kenshin's lips brushing hers. "Please don't stop." She thought, but then Kenshin pulled away blushing.  
  
"A.I'm sorry. I should have controlled myself." He said, facing the other way.  
  
"Kenshin." she said softly.  
  
"I have to go. See you tomorrow." He said, as he started walking down the sidewalk.  
  
"Bye, Kenshin." She waved as Kenshin went down the sidewalk. But then, he suddenly stopped.  
  
"Um, wait. One more thing. I have something I wanna ask you." He said, turning to her and smiling his famous rurouni smile.  
  
Kaoru sighed. "Yeah? What is it?"  
  
"Will you go with me to the Valentine's Day Dance tomorrow?" he said, hoping she would say yes. He regained his breath when he saw her smile.  
  
"YES!!!" yelled Kaoru mentally. "Of course I will. I would absolutely love to." She said, with her sweetest smile. Kenshin smiled the rurouni smile once again.  
  
"Thanks. Well, see you tomorrow, Kaoru." He said, getting on his skateboard, which he had left next to a bush, and riding away into the darkness.  
  
"Bye, Kenshin." Kaoru said with the most authentic smile she had had in her life. He HAD asked her. And SHE was the one going with him to the dance. But most important of all, there was forgiveness.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
Short chapter. Gotta start writing next chapter before I run out of ideas. REVIEW, please! ^_^x 


	13. Nighttime Visions and 13 Purehearted Emo...

Hello, guys! I'm so glad so many people like my story! (blush) Well, here comes chapter 13, and just so you know, there's still plenty more to come! On with the chapter! ^_^x (Note: I'm aiming for 200 Reviews! C'mon, people,  
help me here! ^_^x)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't have to say it. You guys probably know it by heart  
already.  
  
Chapter 13: Nighttime Visions and 1/3 Pure hearted Emotions  
  
Kaoru lay in her bed, sighing dreamily. Half an hour ago, she had said sorry to Kenshin, he had forgiven her, and they had almost kissed. Almost. Kenshin had pulled away just before they had. She wished he hadn't.  
  
"Oh my gosh, I never thought I would feel this way again." She thought out loud. The last time she had thought this way was with her ex-boyfriend, but after they were through, she had told herself to try never to think this way again. But with Kenshin, she just couldn't help herself. She was in love with him. And she planned to tell him soon.  
  
"As soon as I get the guts." She said to herself. She sighed once more, and hid under the covers, trying to go to sleep.  
  
Meanwhile, at Kenshin's home.  
  
"Kenshin, are you going to sleep yet?" asked Sora as she knocked on her cousin's bedroom's door. "Okka-san wants to know. You know she's always worried that we have enough sleep."  
  
Kenshin came out his door wearing his pajamas, and he had his famous rurouni smile. Sora wondered what was on his mind.  
  
"Cuz, you're happier than usual." she commented, and Kenshin smiled broader. All of a sudden, a small figure sneaked up on Kenshin and jumped on his back, hugging him so hard she was choking him. Kenshin's eyes seemed ready to pop out of his head. @_@x  
  
"ORO?!"  
  
"Ken-chan! Please read me a story before going to bed!" exclaimed Taiichi, Sora's 8-year-old sister, and Kenshin's younger cousin. She was a little girl with hair just like Sora's except it was never tied up (or down, for that matter), and she had the same lively amethyst eyes. Right now she was wearing her pink "Princess" pajamas, and was hugging her stuffed kitty at the same time she was hugging Kenshin.  
  
"Taiichi-chan, don't do that! You know you give Kenshin a heart attack every time you do that!" scolded Sora as her little sister pouted.  
  
"Ken-chan doesn't mind, right, Ken-chan?" she said, looking at Kenshin with big sparkly eyes. Kenshin and Sora sweatdropped.  
  
"Whatever you say, Taiichi-chan." They said at the same time.  
  
"Hey! Don't call me little! (Another one with a "Don't call me Little!" complex.) I'm growing up tall and strong, like Sora-chan and Ken-chan!" Taiichi said proudly, and her relatives couldn't help but smile.  
  
Then all of a sudden, another figure appeared near Kenshin's doorway. Guess who it was.  
  
"Taiichi, Sora, you girls leave Kenshin alone this instant! Can't you see he has to go to bed?" scolded Sora's mom at the girls. Sora and Taiichi flinched and covered their ears as Kenshin suppressed a laugh. His aunt was always looking out for him.  
  
"Okka-san, why'd you yell at me for?" complained Sora, as Taiichi started laughing.  
  
"Oh sorry, Sora honey. I thought you were bothering Kenshin. But I guess it was just Taiichi. Taiichi, you're grounded." Okka-san declared as Sora clutched her mouth to suppress her laugh, and Taiichi burst out.  
  
"What?! No fair! I just want a story!" she yelled, and Okka-san started to laugh.  
  
"I know, honey. I was just kidding. Kenshin, now you go read this child a story. Sora, bed now." She said.  
  
"I'm not a kid, Okka-san." Sora mumbled as she went to her room down the hallway.  
  
Kenshin picked Taiichi up, and took her to her room. He read her a story until she fell asleep. By the time THAT happened, his aunt and Sora were asleep too.  
  
Kenshin made his way to his room. He then went in and closed the door. Then he jumped on his bed and laid down with his arms and hands behind his head, looking at the ceiling.  
  
"Oh man! So close today." he whispered, as he thought of the moment when he and Kaoru had almost kissed. "Kenshin, you BAKA, you're the one who pulled away." He mentally kicked himself. "But then again, it's probably best that we didn't kiss. What if she didn't want to? After all, she has hated me all this time." (Kenshin, you BAKA, didn't you notice that she looked so disappointed?) He then quoted one of his favorite songs.  
  
Kowareru hodo aishitemo sanbun no ichi mo tsutawaranai  
  
junjou na kanjou wa karamawari sae ienaideiru aishiteru my heart.  
  
Nagaku nemureani yoru ga kimi e to omoi  
  
Sore wa koi na n desu to sasayaku yo  
  
Tomedonaku katari nakeru yureru todou wa  
  
Binetsu majiri no tameiki e to kawaru  
  
Give me smile and shine days kimi no smile de  
  
itetsuku yoru samusa no mo good koraerareru  
  
Kowareru hodo aishitemo san bun no ichi mo tsutawaranai  
  
junjou na kanjou wa karamawari sae ienaideiru aishiteru my heart  
  
Mannatsu no ame no you ni kawaita suhada uruosu kimi no egao ga mabushikute  
  
Give me a smile and shiny days, kyuu ni sumasanaide  
  
donna ni konnan de nankan na kabe mo koeru kara  
  
Kowareru hodo aishetemo san bun no ichi mo tsutawaranai  
  
junjou na kanjou wa karamawari sae ienaideiru aishiteru My Heart  
  
(The following are translations. The first one is my favorite, but you may choose the one of your preference. ^_^x)  
  
#1  
Even if I love you so much that I shatter myself.  
.not even a third of it gets across to you.  
These innocent emotions run around in circles.  
It can't even say I love you.  
My heart.  
  
A long, sleepless night whispers my feelings for you.  
.that is indeed what love means.  
The wavering pulse that speaks to me endlessly.  
.turns into a sigh with a slight fever.  
  
Give me a smile and shine days.  
.with your smile.  
  
It's good I can overcome the cold nights that would freeze me.  
  
Even if I love you so much that I shatter myself.  
.not even a third of it gets across to you.  
These innocent emotions run around in circles.  
It can't even say I love you.  
My heart.  
  
Your smile is so bright it quenches parched skin.  
.just like the mid-summer rain.  
  
Give me a smile and shine days  
Don't finish it in a rush.  
I will get past any hurdle, no matter how difficult or complicated.  
  
Even if I love you so much that I shatter myself.  
.not even a third of it gets across to you.  
These innocent emotions run around in circles. It can't even say I love  
you.  
  
My heart. My heart.  
  
***  
#2  
Even if my love reaches the breaking point,  
1/3 of it won't reach  
  
My true feelings are just spinning on air,  
my heart isn't even saying "I love you"  
  
On the long, sleepless nights, the images I send to you  
  
whisper "that is love".  
  
continuously shaking speech that moves you to tears  
  
changes into a slight fever mingled with a sigh  
  
Give me a smile and shiny days, by your smile  
  
I can withstand the cold of a frozen night.  
  
Even if my love reaches the breaking point,  
1/3 of it won't reach  
  
My true feelings are just spinning on air,  
my heart isn't even saying "I love you"  
  
Like rain in the middle of summer, the dry, bareness moistens, your smile  
is bright.  
  
Give me a smile and shiny days,  
don't clear up so quickly!  
  
Because we can overcome any wall that stands in our way.  
  
Even if my love reaches the breaking point,  
1/3 of it won't reach  
  
My true feelings are just spinning on air,  
my heart isn't even saying "I love you".  
  
"Kowareru hodo aishetemo san bun no ichi mo tsutawaranai  
  
junjou na kanjou wa karamawari sae ienaideiru aishiteru My Heart" Kenshin repeated in his mind. "I may be a courageous swordsman, but I guess I'm just a coward when it comes to my feelings. Well, I'll tell her. Someday." he said to himself, then he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.  
  
Back at Kaoru's home.  
  
She was walking. Walking in a beautiful flowery meadow. The flowers were all over the place, making the meadow look like a rainbow of colors. Kaoru was wearing a pink kimono with apple green flowers here and there, tied with a purple and aqua obi, her hair tied up in a purple ribbon. She twirled around on the flowers, and let herself fall among them. She was laughing.  
  
"This is so perfect. if only Kenshin were here." she thought out loud, and all of a sudden, she felt two strong and gentle arms around her, the same she had felt not so long ago. Then she heard what was for her the sweetest voice in the world.  
  
"I'm right here, koishii." Said Kenshin, and Kaoru turned to face him. He was wearing a dark blue gi and white hakamas.  
  
"Kenshin!" she exclaimed. He just smiled and pulled her closer to him.  
  
"Kaoru, there's something I've been meaning to tell you." He said to her, pulling her so close his breath tickled her face.  
  
"Y.yes, Kenshin?" she asked, her heart beating fast.  
  
"I love you, koishii." He finished, and Kaoru's heart soared.  
  
"I love you too, Kenshin." She said. Kenshin just gave her his famous rurouni smile. Then, they pulled closer. They were about to kiss, when suddenly they were torn apart.  
  
Shadowy figures were pulling Kenshin, and others were holding her.  
  
"Kenshin!" she called for him, reaching her hand to him. But he just turned his back to her, his face shadowed by his hair.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kaoru. Goodbye." he said sadly as the darkness started to engulf him.  
  
"Wait! Don't go! Kenshin!!!!" she yelled as Kenshin disappeared among the darkness.  
  
She sat up, gasping and sweaty. She looked around her. She was in her bed, in her room, in her home. It was 3 AM in the morning. It had all been a dream. A terrible dream.  
  
Still huffing and puffing, she got up to get a glass of water. She went down the stairs and ran into her pet kitten, Shinta. (She had named him after Rurouni Shinta. For those of you who don't know, or haven't seen the episodes in which Kenshin trains with Hiko to learn the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki, Shinta is Kenshin's real name. Hiko thought Shinta was too gentle a name for a swordsman, and changed the poor kid's name to Kenshin. Those who saw the episodes must know what I'm talking about. ^_^x)  
  
She petted the kitten, then headed to the fridge for a glass of water. After she drank it, she picked up Shinta and took him to her room. Then she laid down on her bed, and Shinta curled up on her feet. She just lay there looking at the ceiling, thinking about her recent nightmare.  
  
"That dream I had. Wonder if it has some sort of meaning. And if it does. what is it?"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
Phew! Took me a while to come up with all this! Hope you guys enjoy it! And as always, REVIEW!!!!!!, please! It makes Sora-chan happy!  
  
P.S.: If anybody here likes Zoids Chaotic Century/Guardian Force, let me know! 


	14. Valentine's Day Celebration: Karaoke Par...

OH MY GOD! Thank you so much, guys! You helped me get 200 reviews! To conmemorate the occasion, here's the longest chapter yet! Enjoy! (And review afterwards, please!!! ^_^x)  
  
Disclaimer: I won't bother.  
  
Chapter 14: Valentine's Day Celebration: Karaoke Party!  
  
It was finally the awaited moment of all Silver Star High. It was time for the V-day's Dance! As soon as the bell rang, students streamed out of their classrooms, dropped off their stuff at their lockers, and headed for the gym. Kaoru was just finishing putting her things in her locker, when she remembered the dream she had last night.  
  
"That dream. Why can't I get it out of my mind?" she asked herself. She shook it off, and went to the schoolyard to meet with Misao.  
  
"Hurry up, Kaoru! The dance is gonna start!" yelled Misao as she waved frantically to Kaoru. Kaoru laughed inwardly. Misao will always be Misao.  
  
Kaoru caught up with Misao, and Misao started to scold her. "About time, Kaoru! Man! You're slower than a sloth!" she complained, but Kaoru just laughed.  
  
"So, where's Aoshi, Misao? Aren't you afraid someone will take him away from you?" Kaoru teased, seeing as her friend wasn't with her partner yet. Misao just winked and shook her finger.  
  
"There's NO WAY anyone's getting MY Aoshi-sama. He's waiting for me in the gym, so hurry up! By the way, did you manage to get a partner?" asked Misao as they got closer to the gym. It was a beautiful day. The sakura petals where streaming around everybody, and the sun was shining bright.  
  
They were amazed at how many couples were making their way to the gym. Sano and Megumi (NO DUH!!!!!), Rikkuse and Sora, Tae and Tsunan (Katsu), Shura and.  
  
"Soujiro looks so CUTE with Shura! The only problem is he's a bit too short for her." Kaoru laughed, as Misao shook her head smiling.  
  
"Shura doesn't like anyone in particular, but she wouldn't be caught dead at this dance without a partner. So she wasted no time and asked a guy from the gumi." She explained.  
  
"Oh, and since Soujiro's too shy to ask anyone he didn't know very well out, he accepted 'cause Shura's from the gumi, right?" Kaoru continued.  
  
"Yeah. Speaking of partners from the gumi, I wonder who's Kenshin's partner?"  
  
"Oh, how should I know?" said Kaoru, trying to hide a sly grin.  
  
When they were in front of the gym, Kaoru stopped Misao. Misao didn't notice that they were being watched by someone from the shadows.  
  
"Misao, you asked me who was my partner." She said, standing right in front of the shadows.  
  
"Yeah, and you didn't answer me. Why are you being so mysterious?" Misao said, pretending to be upset.  
  
"Well, this is my partner." Kaoru said motioning to the shadows.  
  
"The shadows? Kaoru you're seriously in need for a psychiatrist." Then someone appeared among the shadows. It was. "Kenshin?!" exclaimed Misao. Kenshin extended his hand to Kaoru.  
  
"Ready, Kaoru?" he said, in a voice so sweet it almost made Kaoru and Misao melt on the spot.  
  
"Am I ever! Well, good luck with Aoshi, Misao." Said Kaoru as she and Kenshin entered the gym, leaving a dumbfounded Misao behind.  
  
"Ah, did I miss something? Oh, stupid Misao. You should have stayed a bit later yesterday and spied on them or something. Bet yesterday's incident has to do with them being in friendlier terms." She said, konking herself on the head, when a strong but gentle hand stopped her.  
  
"You shouldn't treat yourself like that, Misao. Who am I going dance with if you're all swirly-eyed because you hit yourself too much? You'll look like Kenshin." said Aoshi smiling. It was the first time Misao had seen him smile. She regained her composure.  
  
"Aoshi-sama!" She exclaimed as she wondered on his amazing smile.  
  
"Let's go in, shall we? Everyone else is in there waiting for us." He said, offering Misao his hand. She took it eagerly and together they walked into the crowded gym. Now back to Kaoru and Kenshin.  
  
As Kenshin and Kaoru made their way through the gym, some of the girls were whispering things like: "Look, Kenshin Himura has a partner." or "Oh, dang! I wish I was that girl". Kaoru felt a bit uncomfortable with people whispering behind their backs. But Kenshin gently grabbed her hand, and pulled it closer to him, making Kaoru look at him.  
  
"Just ignore them. Whatever it is they say, it doesn't matter. They're just jealous because I turned them down." He said reassuringly. Kaoru calmed down.  
  
"You turned ALL of them down?" she asked incredulously as Kenshin nodded, looking forward. "Why did you do that?"  
  
"Because, if I was coming at all, I wanted to come with you. Nobody else." He whispered, making Kaoru blush lightly.  
  
They didn't say anything more until they met with the gumi at the very end of the gym. Everyone looked happy and excited. Misao was especially hyper.  
  
"Oh, WOW! This is the coolest Valentine's Day party the school has ever thrown!" she said, jumping up and down excitedly, making Aoshi smile. Fortunately for him, nobody noticed him, or they would have been surprised.  
  
"Hey, there's a karaoke machine and everything! I wanna try!" said Rikkuse, looking at the stage they had in the gym. "C'mon, Sora! Let's try it! Please?"  
  
"Okay. I'll go with you. Wouldn't want to let you make a fool of yourself, would I?" she said, looking back and winking at Sano, who gave her a thumb- up. Then she and Rikkuse disappeared in the crowd.  
  
"What about you, Kenshin? Don't YOU and Jou-chan want to try it too?" he said in a tone that made Kenshin blush.  
  
"Maybe. That is, if you guys think I should. After all, I'm not such a great singer, that I am not." He said, smiling afterwards.  
  
"Of course you are! With that cool voice of yours, Himura, you can surely get up there and sing something!" said Misao, winking at him. "Hey, look guys! Rikkuse is up on the stage!" she exclaimed incredulously.  
  
"I can't believe this! That baka! Kenshin, I thought Sora said she wouldn't let him make a full of himself!" Sano complained, but Kenshin just smiled.  
  
"Who knows? What makes you think that Rikkuse can't sing? I've heard him before, and I think he sings pretty good." Kaoru spoke up, and Sano smirked at her.  
  
"Whatever you say, Jou-chan."  
  
Meanwhile, at the stage:  
  
"Sora, how the heck did I end up in the stage?" Rikkuse asked his partner sweatdropping.  
  
Sora sighed. "Well, you're the one who went ahead and said you wanted to try the karaoke machine so, do it." She said to him.  
  
"Okay. What should I sing?" he asked her. Sora thought for a moment.  
  
"Sing "I'm just a Kid", by Simple Plan." Sora said, and Rikkuse nodded. He motioned to the DJ, who started playing the song. Then the words appeared on a screen as Rikkuse sang.  
  
I woke up, it was seven.  
  
I waited 'til eleven,  
  
just to figure out that no one would call.  
  
I think I've got a lot of friends but  
  
I don't hear from them, what's another night all alone?  
  
When you're spending everyday on your own.  
  
And here it goes.  
  
I'm just a kid  
  
And life is a nightmare.  
  
I'm just a kid,  
  
I know that it's not fair.  
  
Nobody cares 'cuz I'm alone  
  
And the world is  
  
Having more fun than me.  
  
Tonight.  
  
And maybe when  
  
The night is dead,  
  
I'll crawl into my bed  
  
Staring at these four walls again  
  
I'll try to think about the last time  
  
I had a good time  
  
Everyone's got somewhere to go  
  
And they're gonna leave me here on my own.  
  
What the hell is wrong with me?  
  
Don't fit in with anybody  
  
How did this happen to me?  
  
Wide awake I'm bored and  
  
I can't fall asleep  
  
And every night is the worst night ever.  
  
I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare,  
  
I'm just a kid,  
  
I know that it's not fair.  
  
Nobody cares 'cuz I'm alone  
  
And the world is  
  
Nobody wants to be alone in the world.  
  
I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare  
  
I'm just a kid, I know that it's not fair  
  
Nobody cares 'cuz  
I  
  
'm alone and world is  
  
Nobody wants to be alone in the world  
  
Nobody cares 'cuz I'm alone  
  
And the world is having more fun than me  
  
Tonight I'm all alone  
  
Tonight nobody cares  
  
Tonight I'm just a kid tonight  
  
After Rikkuse finished, the crowd was clapping furiously and Rikkuse blushed. He had always been a pretty popular guy, especially with the girls. (Can you blame him? He's so cute! And he belongs to me! ^_^x)  
  
"Hey, my baka brother didn't do so bad after all." Sano said as he put his hand to his chin. The rest of the gumi smiled.  
  
After that, several more people went up the stage to sing karaoke, including Sora, who sang Avril Lavigne's "Anything but Ordinary", and Misao who sang "Sk8er Boi", which she dedicated to her Aoshi-sama, Kenshin, Rikkuse, Sano and Soujiro. After all, they were Sk8er Boys! Then, they played several dancing song, and everybody was out in the dance floor!  
  
Kaoru noticed that Kenshin had the moves! Even though he didn't look like it at first instance, our Kenshin could dance better than anybody. (Hello? Why do you think he's so good at "Dance Dance Revolution"?)  
  
"Wow, Kenshin! I didn't know you could dance this well!" Kaoru commented, as they were dancing a little "salsa".  
  
"Well, if you consider the past, I wouldn't be surprised." Kenshin answered , as he thought of the days that Kaoru wouldn't even look at him. But he smiled 'cause, thankfully, those days were over.  
  
"Yeah, you're right. Kenshin.?" she started.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm glad we're friends." She said. (All of you guys must be falling back sweatdropping anime-style. You thought she was going to say something ELSE, didn't you? ^_^x)  
  
"Me too, Kaoru. Me too." He said, smiling his famous rurouni smile.  
  
The rest of the dance passed by smoothly until it was almost the end. Kaoru and Kenshin had just finished dancing a very lively piece, when all of a sudden, the music changed to slow and romantic. Guess who?  
  
"Listen, buddy. I need you to keep playing this music until I tell you okay?" said Sano to the DJ. "If you don't, then you'll have Sanosuke Sagara's fist marked on your face, got it, buster?" Sano menaced, as the terrified guy nodded vigorously. "Good. Now, Kenshin, you baka! Do a move on Jou-chan, or you'll be sorry!"  
  
Meanwhile, Megumi was waiting for Sanosuke by the snacks table. She was getting impatient.  
  
"Where the hell is my Rooster Head? He better not have ditched me, or he'll see." she mumbled, when she felt two strong arms around her shoulders.  
  
"Hey, babe. Miss me?" smirked Sano, as Megumi konked him in the head. "Yeouch! Fox, what'd you do that for?"  
  
"That's for being late. And this." she said, then she kissed him. "this is for making it."  
  
Sano smirked. "Can't complain there!"  
  
Meanwhile, Kenshin and Kaoru.  
  
They were dancing very closely, Kenshin blushing a bit, since he had never danced so close to a girl like this. Especially not to the one he loved. Then Kaoru rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
Meanwhile, a pair of eyes were watching their every move. Sano and Misao had excused themselves for a second from their dates, and they were spying on them.  
  
"C'mon, Kenshin! Do something already!" Sano mumbled exasperated, of course, without Kenshin hearing him.  
  
"Yeah, c'mon, Himura! Tell her or something!" Misao whispered.  
  
"Hey, how far do you think those two will get to? Maybe to third base?" he asked, and Misao hit Sano over the head. "Ow! What'cha do that for, Weasel?"  
  
"That's for being a hentai!" she fumed. "And DON'T CALL ME WEASEL, ROOSTER- HEAD!"  
  
"What 'cha call me?" Sano asked, cracking his knuckles.  
  
"I called you ROOSTER-HEAD!" Misao spat back at him, taking out her magical kunais. (You know, the ones that appear out of nowhere.)  
  
"Bring it on!" he declared, but then Misao cover his mouth.  
  
"Shut up! Himura's gonna say something!" she said excitedly, as they both locked their eyes on the couple nearby.  
  
Indeed. Kenshin thought that maybe this could be a good moment to tell Kaoru how he really felt.  
  
"Um, Kaoru?" he started, and Kaoru looked up to him.  
  
"Yes, Kenshin?" she said, looking hopefully back at him.  
  
"I. I've been wanting to tell you something for a while now."  
  
"Yes, Kenshin?"  
  
"Come on. Himura! You can do it!" Misao whisperedly cheered on.  
  
"Yeah, come on, buddy!" Sano added.  
  
"Kaoru, I." but he couldn't finish. All of a sudden, the Macarena song started to play. Obviously not a song Kenshin needed in the background.  
  
"KUSO!!!!!!!!" Kenshin, Sano and Misao cursed in their minds. Sano got up and rolled his sleeves.  
  
"That stupid DJ's gonna pay for this!" Sano said as he headed the DJ's way. Misao followed, taking out a couple of kunai.  
  
Needless to say, Sano and Misao took care of the DJ. But afterwards, the party ended. It was time for all of them to go home.  
  
"Oh drat! I wonder what Kenshin was gonna tell me." Kaoru wondered as she went to where Misao was.  
  
"Hey, Kaoru! Wanna stay over at my house?" Misao invited, as students where flowing out of the gym.  
  
"Sure! I'll call Sayo to tell her where I'm gonna be!" Kaoru said as she called her cousin on her cellphone.  
  
After that, Kaoru and Misao went to their lockers to pick up the assignments for Monday, and left for Misao's house.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
*********************  
  
Phew! That was long, but I enjoyed writing it! The part about Sano and Misao calling each other Rooster-head and Weasel, and menacing each other, I got it from my little brother and sister. They love to pretend they're Sano and Misao, and yesterday, they wanted to sneak up on one of our cats, and my sister accidentally scared him away. My little brother said "Now look what you did, Weasel girl!", and my little said "Don't call me weasel, rooster-head!", and my brother said "What did you just call me?" as he "cracked his knuckled, and my sister took out her "kunais" (pencils) and said "I called you Rooster-head!", and well, you know the rest. Well, now review, please, and make me speed up the next update! 


	15. Spring Break!

Hi, guys! Sorry for the late update but, remember, the only computer with internet access in my house is my dad's laptop, and most of the time he takes it to work. Also, finals are just around the corner, and I have to study especially hard for Spanish. I just got my worst grade ever in that class so. PLEASE BE PATIENT IF MORE THAN A WEEK PASSES BEFORE I UPDATE!!! I promise, I WILL finish this fic, so don't worry! It's probably gonna have 20-something chapters, maybe more if I get more ideas. Thank you for understanding! Now I feel much better. About last chapter, I know they were supposed to give those award thingies and everything, but, remember, because Sano and Misao beat up the DJ, the party was cancelled. But you guys could have probably guessed who would have been awarded what, anyway. But still, if you're interested, you can contact me at sakurahedwig@aol.com or sorahimura@hotmail.com. Any other comments are welcome!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I only own my title "Rurouni Kenshin Highschool Madness", my ideas, Sora Himura, Taiichi Himura and Rikkuse Sagara. For now.  
  
Chapter 15: Spring Break!  
  
The days after the Valentine's Day party, the teachers must have thought it was time to shift to high gear, because they started giving so much schoolwork and homework that Kenshin and the others barely had time to see each other. Even the ones from the Kenshingumi in the same classroom barely had time to talk. And needless to say, Kenshin and Kaoru only saw each other at the lockers, because now they didn't take kendo at the same time. (Weep. That's so sad! ~_~x)  
  
This went on for weeks. Until, finally, it was the last day of school before spring break. Misao, Tae and Kaoru came out of their classroom and walked down the hallway, looking tired. They got to their lockers, opened them, put in their stuff, slammed them shut, and just stood there. Everything was all quiet. Then all of a sudden.  
  
"WOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" exclaimed Misao jumping into the air, scaring the heck out of Kaoru and Tae, who jumped back. "It's FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Calm down, Misao. I know Spring Break is great and all, but you don't have to y." Kaoru started but she was cut off because of another yell coming from 2 classrooms away.  
  
"WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Guess who.  
  
"Sanosuke, please. Behave yourself." Pleaded a sweatdropping Megumi as she followed Sano out the door and into the hallway.  
  
"Sorry, foxy babe, but I can't help it! No school for a week and a half!!! (That's what I normally have as spring break.) We get to spend so much time together!" he said, looking at her with shiny eyes. Megumi smiled at him.  
  
"Well, I have to admit. that is true. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN GO RUNNING AROUND THE WHOLE DAMN SCHOOL YELLING AND SCARING PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!" Megumi yelled, and Sano jumped and hid behind Rikkuse and Sora, who were walking down the hallway to their lockers at that moment.  
  
"Jeez, Fox! I didn't know you could yell so loud!" Misao commented from the other side of the hallway, and she burst out laughing.  
  
"Well, look who's here. If it isn't little Weasel girl, and Raccoon." Megumi replied, flipping her hair. In an instant, Misao and Kaoru were standing in front of her with their fists clenched with their scary Raccoon and Weasel faces on.  
  
"What.did.you.just.CALL ME?" Misao and Kaoru yelled at the same time. Megumi just smirked.  
  
"Well, what do you know? Not only are they Weasel and Raccoon, but they're also deaf!" Megumi teased some more, and then laughed her trademark "Ohohoho." laugh, her fox ears and tail appearing out of nowhere. (Man, she must have missed Kaoru and Misao a lot. I guess she had to tease them this much today to compensate for all the weeks she didn't.)  
  
"WHY YOU.!!!!!!" They yelled at the same time, and they were almost gonna jump on her to kill her, when they were held back by someones who had put their hands on their shoulders.  
  
"What the hell's your." Misao and Kaoru started to fume, until they looked at who were holding them back. They got wide-eyed and started to blush. Misao was being held back by Aoshi, and Kaoru was being held back by Kenshin.  
  
"Kenshin. Aoshi." they both said at the same time.  
  
"You guys sound like identical twins, that you do." Kenshin said as he let go of Kaoru, and Aoshi let go of Misao. "You have said the exact same things during the last 5 minutes." Kenshin said smiling his famous rurouni smile.  
  
"Yes. You were completely synchronized." Aoshi added, and then he smiled. BOOM!  
  
(OMG!!!!!! Aoshi smiled?! Everybody lock yourself inside your house! The End of the World is coming! Total Armaggedon! AHHHH!)  
  
"Oh my gosh! Aoshi-sama smiled!" Misao exclaimed mentally said, as she just stood there gazing at her Aoshi-sama dreamily.  
  
"They may be synchronized, but I still say they're Weasel and Raccoon." Megumi interrupted, receving death glares from Misao and Kaoru.  
  
The rest of the Kenshin-gumi laughed.  
  
"What's SO FUNNY?" Kaoru and Misao yelled at the same time, each wearing her scary face. That just made the others laugh harder.  
  
"WHATEVER!!!" The "twin" girls yelled as she crossed their arms and walked away.  
  
*****************  
  
Four hours later, at Sano's place.  
  
"Hey, bro. What are we gonna do for Spring Break?" asked Rikkuse as he dropped himself lazily on Sano's big red couch. Sano was lying on his bed, with a magazine on top of his face. He was just lying there, bored, and it hadn't even been 5 hours since Spring Break started.  
  
"I don't have any idea. You're the one with the brain, you think of something." Sano replied lazily to his brother as he hid his head under his pillow.  
  
"Well, you're the one with the biggest allowance." Rikkuse answered back. At that moment, Rikkuse turned on the TV and the PS2. "Ooh, .hack Outbreak! This'll keep me entertained for a while. Zenki told me this part was pretty hard." he said as he guided his character through a heavily infected dungeon.  
  
(Yay! Zenki-sama appeared in my fic! Well, not physically, but I mentioned him!)  
  
"Oh, c'mon! Don't tell me you're gonna spend all week and a half playing PS2!" Sano groaned.  
  
"I could live with that." Rikkuse replied as his mind left their conversation and was inmersed totally in "The World".  
  
"Hmm." Sano thought. (Don't think, Sano. You might hurt yourself. ^_^x)  
  
Meanwhile, at Kaoru's house.  
  
"OW! What'cha do THAT for, UGLY!!" Yahiko complained as he received a konk over the head from Kaoru's shinai. They were in the dojo practicing their Kamiya Kasshin Style.  
  
(Haha! Kaoru and Yahiko Kamiya, practicing the Kamiya Kasshin Style! Hahaha! Please ignore my stupid comments if you think they're too stupid. I'm just hyper, because I drank a HUGE cup of grape juice, and only Zenki- sama and Okka-san know how I get when I drink grape juice. SUGAR HIGH! Wonder if this grape juice was a bit aged or something. ^_^x)  
  
"I'm NOT UGLY, and that's for being a stupid little brat. Besides, your shoulder was unbalanced." She answered matter-of-factly.  
  
"Of course you're ugly. That's why that red-headed guy you like so much doesn't like you, UGLY!!!" he teased some more, making Kaoru blush.  
  
"I'm not ugly, and who said I like him, Yahiko?" she said softly as she turned around blushing. Stupid Yahiko. Why can't he mind his own bussiness.  
  
"It's written all over your face, ugly! You don't know how to hide your feelings." Yahiko said triumphantly. But Kaoru wasn't just gonna keep quiet.  
  
"Well, you know who's even more obvious? A little brat called Yahiko, who loves his dear Tsubame soooo MUCH!" she teased back, with a background of little hearts and stars.  
  
"Tsubame has nothing to do with this!" Yahiko defended, and then they both just stared at each other with scary death glares.  
  
"What ever. So, what're we gonna do the rest of Spring break?" Kaoru asked as she started walking back into the house.  
  
"How should I know, Ugly?" he replied back, and Kaoru just sighed.  
  
"I don't know why I even bother asking a brainless little brat something like that." She said as Yahiko started to get ticked off. Then Kaoru added, "To be honest, I don't know what Tsubame sees in you."  
  
"HEY!!!!!!!!" Yahiko yelled, and then Kaoru laughed.  
  
"Just kidding! Come on, Yahiko. Let's have dinner. Sayo made ohagi." Kaoru said smiling at her bratty younger brother.  
  
"Ohagi?! WOOHOO!!!!! Race ya! Last one in is an UGLY RACCOON!!!" he yelled as he dashed to the house. Kaoru followed calmly after him.  
  
***************************  
  
Later, at Kenshin's home.  
  
"Brother Ken, please tell me one of your stories!" exclaimed Taiichi sitting on her older cousin's lap. "Tell me one so I can go to sleep!"  
  
"Taiichi, give Kenshin a break! You've asked for a story every twenty minutes during the whole day!" Sora scolded her little sister. Taiichi stuck her tongue out at Sora, but Sora grabbed it. Kenshin started to laugh, and Sora let go of Taiichi's tongue.  
  
"No Fair! You can't do that, Sora! The rules say you're not allowed to grab my tongue when I stick it out at you!" Taiichi complained, and Sora just smirked.  
  
"Sk8er girls don't play by the rules." She replied as she smirked devilishly. Kenshin just sat there amused at his cousins's antics. Girls could be so weird.  
  
"In any case, I think it's time for Taiichi to go to bed." Said Okka-san as she appeared in the doorway. "Taiichi, bed, now."  
  
"NO FAIR! There's no school for a week and a half! How come I have to go to sleep at ten when Sora gets to stay up 'til four playing PS2?" Taiichi kept on her "No Fair" ranting.  
  
"Sora, what have I told you about staying up until four playing those video games?" Okka-san scolded at Sora, while Sora thought of an excuse. "I thought I told you you could play until five." Okka-san said, and Kenshin, Taiichi and Sora fell backwards suffering of severe sweatdrops. "Well, today I want you kids to go to sleep early so. bed now." Okka-san ordered, and the trio was scattered. Trust me, you DON'T wanna make Okka-san mad. (Uy!!! Asusta! Ooh! Scary!)  
  
And five minutes later, it was "lights out".  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, although it clearly sucked. And let me tell you, I might not be able to update until December 18 so. please wait! I promise it will all be worth it! Now, review, and boost my brain! Maybe I'll be able to update earlier if I have time and support! ^_^x P.S. Right now, I'm feeling a bit under the weather. My legs hurt a lot, I'm burning up, but I'm also freezing to death. Also, I have sort of a cold. I'm not feeling good. Sayonara. 


	16. SANO USING HIS BRAIN?

Yay! I'm finally out of school! My life was pain, but not anymore. (Well, my body hurts, of all the falls and bump and bruises I've suffered lately, but SCHOOL'S OUT!!! Life is good! Oh yeah! Well, I'm terribly sorry I'm late, but this has been a very busy week. Beating .hack Mutation (I already started .hack Outbreak), Mom taking me shopping (Pretty boring if you ask me, and I'm a girl! I'm supposed to like shopping. I don't, unless it's for RK stuff or video games or toys, etc.), Tae-kwon-do test and all (I just turned red belt!! Two more tests to go and I'll be Black belt! ^_^x), and besides, I had a HUGE writer's block! Now, sit back and relax, as you get ready to read.  
  
Disclaimer: I'm sick and tired of writing this. If anybody doesn't know it by heart already, raise your hand. (Nobody raises hand.) Good! How, on with the show!  
  
Chapter 16: SANO USING HIS BRAIN?!  
  
It was the day after the day Spring Break started. At the Himura household, Kenshin and Sora were playing PS2, while Taiichi watched and complained that she wanted a turn too. The Kamiyas, well, Kaoru was taking a nap, and Yahiko was somewhere in the house playing GBA SP, and Sayo was tending to the house. Misao was doing some ninja training at the Aoiya, her grandfather's restaurant, hotel, and ninja dojo, which was not far from her house. Soujiro was maybe reading a book, or something like that, while Aoshi was probably in some quiet corner meditating, or thinking, etc. (You know. Aoshi stuff). Meanwhile, at the Sagara Mansion:  
  
"EUREKA!!!" yelled our favorite rooster-head as he came running into his younger brother's room. Rikkuse, who was at his desk drawing, looked up at his brother.  
  
"What's all the fuss about, Sano?" Rikkuse asked as Sano put a flier right in front of Rikkuse's face. It was a flier about Yokohama, which told of all the tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants, etc.  
  
"We can go to Yokohama to have some fun! We'll take the rest of the gang, of course. What could be better than this?" Sano asked as Rikkuse brightened.  
  
"That's a great idea! Wow! My stupid rooster-head older brother actually had a good idea!" Rikkuse teased, as Sano got ticked off.  
  
"What did you just call me? Listen, Rikkuse, I'm not the only one around here with hair that defies gravity, you know? And I'm not the only stupid one either!" Sano only yelled as he walked out of Rikkuse's room and made his way to his room. He was too tired of chasing his brother lately to start a chase now. Besides, he had a trip to plan!  
  
"What's all the fuss about, Sano?" Tae asked as she peeked into her older brother's room. She didn't go in there. After all, all the rooms in the mansion had a privacy policy, and Sano's room is NO GIRLS ALLOWED EXCEPT MEGUMI, remember?  
  
"That's the second time I hear that today. Listen, Tae. How would you like to go to Yokohama for a vacation with the rest of the gumi?" Sano asked his sister, and Tae clapped her hands together.  
  
"Why, that's a great idea, Sano! I'll tell mom and dad. Meanwhile, you call everyone!" She answered winking at Sano as she disappeared out of the room, to get the phone.  
  
Sano walked over to his own personal private phone, and dialed Megumi's number, then he leaned on his big red couch as the phone rang. After a few seconds, a foxy female voice answered.  
  
"Hello?" answered Megumi, and Sano smiled at the other end of the line.  
  
"Well, hey there, foxy babe. It's me." Sano replied, as he started twirling the phone cord with his fingers.  
  
"Sano, how's everything?" Megumi asked, as she flipped her hair and perked up.  
  
"Just dandy. Listen. How would you like a nice one-week vacation on the beautiful sandy, sunny, breezy, balmy beaches of Yokohama?"  
  
"Why, Sano! That sounds like a great idea!" Megumi exclaimed happily.  
  
"Where have I heard that before?" Sano asked himself sarcastically.  
  
"When are we leaving?" Megumi asked, as she checked her calendar.  
  
"How 'bout tomorrow?" Sano said as he eyed his own calendar.  
  
"Sounds perfect. I'll start packing." She said, and then she started to say in a singsong voice. "My boyfriend's taking me to Yokohama! Ladiladidadi."  
  
"Okaaay." Sano muttered as he hung up the phone. Then he thought, about who he would call next. He wouldn't call Kenshin, since there was no need. Rikkuse and Sora both took Tae-kwon-do classes today, so they would be meeting, and Rikkuse would tell Sora, and Sora would tell Kenshin. Quite simple, really.  
  
"Well. Let's see. There's Weasel Girl, Ice Man, Smiley Boy, Jou-chan and her bratty bro, Shura." he said as he started dialing. Meanwhile, at Kenshin's house.  
  
"Kenshin, I'm leaving for Tae-kwon-do class in half an hour. Can you take care of Taiichi, or do I have to bring her along with me so she'll start running like an idiot, going around the dojo like it was highway?" Sora asked as she picked up her uniform from the laundry room.  
  
She kept her Tae-kwon-do belt in her closet. After all, you can't leave a black belt lying around the house. It's dangerous with someone like Taiichi around. Kenshin came down some stairs and answered his cousin.  
  
"Well, I have nothing to do, so do you mind if I hang around the dojo? I like to watch you guys train. Besides, Rikkuse'll be there too." Kenshin said and his cousin nodded. He would have to change clothes. He was wearing clothes you wear when you're planning to stay all day in your house.  
  
After Sora put on her uniform, and Kenshin changed, they started to look all around the house for Taiichi. They went to the kitchen, where Sora's mom was making dinner.  
  
"Okka-san, have you seen Taiichi? We're taking her with us to Tae-kwon-do class." Sora said as Okka-san turned around.  
  
"I think she's watching TV. Beyblade or something. By the way, Sora. Zenki called and said he would be meeting you and Rikkuse at Tae-kwon-do today." Okka-san replied to her daughter as she turned to the chili she was cooking.  
  
"All right! I haven't seen Zenki in a long, long time! Where gonna have so much fun! I heard he's going for First Degree Black Belt! He must know so much! Hope he teaches me a thing or two." Sora exclaimed as she and Kenshin walked to the living room.  
  
The living room was probably the biggest room in the house. It had two couches, a love seat, and a couple of comfy chairs. It also had a big TV which the kids used to watch anime and play video games. Taiichi was sitting on a chair, and was watching Beyblade.  
  
"3.2.1.Let it. RIP!!!!" Taiichi yelled at the same time as the characters did. Sora and Kenshin rolled their eyes. Some things will never change.  
  
"Taiichi, we're gonna go to Tae-kwon-do to accompany Sora, that we are. Come on, let's go." Kenshin said as he extended his arms to her. Taiichi happily obliged.  
  
"Yeah! Brother Ken and Sis. Let's go!" Taiichi exclaimed, as they went out the door.  
  
Once they were in the dojo, Kenshin and Taiichi sat on some chairs while Sora started warming up. Neither of her friends were there, so she started practicing alone.  
  
"Let's see. Hwa-Rang goes like this." she muttered to herself as she practiced a form (synchronized moves). Then when she started practicing her straight and middle punches, a tall guy with super spiky black hair (even more spikier than Rikkuse's, but shorter) and yellow eyes, about Sora's age, came in the dojo. Sora sensed his presence and turned around. It was.  
  
"Zenki! Long time no see!" Sora exclaimed as she hugged her friend. He smiled.  
  
"Same here! Hey, it's been so long. I remember the last time I saw you, you were a Blue Belt, but here you are now as a Black Belt. Time sure flies, doesn't it?" he said, and Sora nodded. "Hey, where's my old pal Rikkuse? Don't tell me you dumped him somewhere." He said amused.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Sora asked, not quite catching it.  
  
"Still childish as ever, I see. Well, anyway, it's good to see you." Zenki laughed as he started warming up. It wasn't long before Rikkuse made it to the dojo.  
  
"Hey, guys. I made it in one piece, luckily." Rikkuse said panting. Apparently he had come running. "You should've seen the way Sano was chasing me! I swear, he made me work up a good sweat!"  
  
Kenshin walked over to his friends, wondering what had happened to Rikkuse. Taiichi, when she saw Rikkuse, jumped on his back and held on to his hair.  
  
"Yay! Rikkuse-chan! Gimme a ride! C'mon!" she yelled enthusiastically as Rikkuse sweatdropped.  
  
"Hey, Taiichi! Watch the hair!" Rikkuse complained as everybody else laughed at the pair. Rikkuse pouted. "Hey, it's not funny." That just made them laugh harder.  
  
"Hey, Rikkuse, why was Sano chasing you, anyway?" Kenshin asked as everybody stopped laughing. Rikkuse answered as he got Taiichi off his head, but not before receiving a "You're a rooster-head like Sano!" comment from Taiichi, and Zenki and Sora cracked up again. Kenshin rolled his eyes.  
  
"Oh, well, let me tell you something first! Sano used his brain! And on vacation, when it's supposed to be in Stand-by!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
*******  
  
I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't what most of you were expecting, but I 'm just recovering from a huge writer's block, remember? But I already have ideas for the next chapters, which are probably the most interesting ones in the fic. (My personal favorites!) Well, please review, and make Sora- chan happy! P.S. My birthday's in December 27th. Greetings (and presents!) welcome! ^_^x 


	17. Oops! Now you've done it, Sano

Well, here it is, finally! My first update of the year 2004, plus my first update while I'm 15!!! I'm so happy! ( Still haven't gotten used to the fact that I'm not 14 anymore...) I've taken so long because my computer wouldn't turn on, and my dad's computer has a damn virus that doesn't let me connect to the Internet. (I'm updating from somewhere else...) Well, hope this chapter comes out good! Thanx to all the people who wished me a Happy Birthday, and I hope they had a good time during Christmas time (or whatever it is they celebrate). My friend Saya-chan got me Kenshin Toys and Kenshin Trading Cards for my birthday!!!!!!! They're SOO AWESOME!!!! THANX, SAYA-CHAN!!! Well, enough of my hyperactivitiness. This fic is for you guys to enjoy!  
  
Chapter 17: Oops... Now you've done it, Sano...  
  
Sano's private airplane was almost in Yokohama. The whole Kenshingumi was inside, waiting for the plane to land, most desperate to have some fun, and a few desperate to just get off the plane.  
  
"Oh man... I think I'm gonna be sick!" Kaoru moaned as she covered her mouth. She had always been airplane-intolerant, and today wasn't any different. Her seat partner, Misao, quickly got up.  
  
"Hey, watch were you empty your stomach!" Misao said jokingly, but Kaoru didn't find it funny. She didn't find it funny at all.  
  
"I just wanna get OFF THIS THING!!! Sano, when are we landing?" Kaoru inquired with a pleading look on her face, and Sano disappeared into the pilot's cabin. He was back pretty soon.  
  
"It'll be like ten more minutes, Jou-chan. Try to hold on for a bit, okay? I wouldn't want to see the inside of my brand-new plane covered in your..." Sano started, but didn't finish. Kaoru was looking very upset. Sano felt bad. "Come on, Jou-chan, you know I didn't mean it! I'm sorry." He added, looking genuinely sorry. "I'll go get something to help your stomach, okay?" He finished as he disappeared to get something for Kaoru.  
  
Kaoru was really not feeling good. Why did she have to be the only one getting "air-sick"? Everybody else was just fine. Misao was (strangely) having a conversation with Aoshi, Tsubame was playing a word game with Tae, Rikkuse, Sora and Yahiko, Soujiro was asleep in his chair, Kenshin was calmly looking out the window and Megumi was just fussing with her hair. Shura couldn't come, since she was currently visiting France with her family. Everybody seemed so normal. And here she was, feeling sick, without anybody to comfort her. She was so caught up in thinking this, that she didn't notice the figure that was now hovering over her. She looked up and saw Kenshin smiling gently and looking sympathetically at her. She started to blush.  
  
"Oh, Kenshin." Kaoru said, hiding her face in her hands so you could only see her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry you feel this way, Kaoru. I hope Sano finds something that can make you fell better." He said, giving her his famous rurouni smile. Once more Kaoru could melt.  
  
"Oh GOD! His smile is so gorgeous! Picture-perfect! It should be in a magazine cover!" Kaoru thought, and then Kenshin sat across from her.  
  
"I can't wait 'til we get to Yokohama." Kenshin spoke his thoughts, and Kaoru nodded. But to tell the truth, Kaoru was already feeling better. Maybe it was just Kenshin's company what made her feel great all the time...  
  
"Umm... Kaoru?" Kenshin started fidgeting with his fingers and, unconsciously, Kaoru's heart started to beat like if she had just run three miles in 5 minutes.  
  
"Yes, Kenshin?" she replied.  
  
"Kaoru, I..." but he was interrupted by Sano who just came into the cabin with something for Kaoru's stomach.  
  
"Here you are, Jou-chan." He said in an extremely cheery tone of voice. At that moment, the only thought in Kenshin and Kaoru's head was "KILL, KILL, KILL SANOSUKE!!!!!!! But seeing that Kaoru didn't look at all sick anymore, he said with a devilish smirk. "Oh well. I guess you didn't need it after all. Your boyfriend was a much better medicine."  
  
"Sanosuke, Kenshin's NOT my BOYFRIEND, GOT THAT?" Kaoru yelled at the top of her lungs as she hit him over the head with her magical shinai that appeared out of nowhere. The rest of the gumi, including Kenshin, burst out laughing at the pair, who were now fighting each other.  
  
"You know, by the looks of it, I think you and Sano would make a great couple, Kaoru!" Misao teased over from next to her Aoshi-sama.  
  
Kaoru turned into her "Raccoon" alter ego, and flashed a very menacing look at Misao as she pointed at Weasel Girl with her shinai.  
  
"What did you just say, WEASEL GIRL?!" Kaoru yelled at her as Misao turned into her "Weasel" alter ego. "WHO YOU CALLIN' A WEASEL GIRL, RACCOON?" Misao shot back at her, and they started to fight in a cloud of smoke. Then all of a sudden they heard a chime, and the captain's voice.  
  
"Thank you for flying in Sanosuke Sagara Airlines. We have now arrived at Yokohama. We hope you have a safe vacation and enjoy your stay. We will come back to pick you up when Master Sanosuke tells us to." Was all he said, and everyone grabbed their luggage and exited the plane.  
  
Once outside, they were welcomed to what could be considered paradise. Sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, blue skies, palm trees swaying with the wind, piña coladas, and, yes, Sano; girls in bikinis. They had landed on the strip next to the beach, and you could really appreciate the view of what promised to be a great vacation. As they were loading their things in Sano's private limousine, Sano stopped to admire the "view".  
  
"Ooh yeah! This is great! Great beaches, warm waters, clear skies, and LOTS AND LOTS OF BABES!!! You don't see babes like these in Tokyo!" he exclaimed before he was smashed over the head with a suitcase. "Ow! That hurt!" he complained as he looked to see who it was, and he saw Megumi with a hurt look, who then turned her back on him and started walking away from him.  
  
"My bro's definitely done it now..." Rikkuse whispered to the gang as they watched Sano following Megumi with pleading looks and saying things like "Come on, foxy babe, you know I didn't mean it. You're the only one for me." And stuff like that. He would have to try harder. Once she was upset, it was very hard to get on Megumi Takani's good side.  
  
"Oh, come on, Megumi! I'll buy you the beach! The island! (referring to the island resort in front of Yokohama, where he and Megumi had gone for summer vacation last year, which Megumi had loved) Anything! Just, please! Forgive me!" Sano begged on his knees, and Megumi looked at him over her shoulder. Owning the whole island DID sound tempting. But...  
  
"It's no use, Sanosuke. Until you prove you really care about me, you might as well get used to not having me by your side." She replied with a flip of her hair from the inside of one of the limousines and slammed the door on Sano's face.  
  
"I can't believe it! This can't be happening to me!" Sano started to yell, while pulling his hair, with big teary eyes. The others couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Then all of a sudden Sano rushed to Rikkuse and desperately grabbed him by the collar and stared at his brother as Rikkuse sweatdropped.  
  
"Um, bro? Too close for comfort..." Rikkuse muttered, and Sano started.  
  
"Please, bro! You've gotta help me! How do you prove a girl that you really care about her?"  
  
"Um, I don't know." Was all Rikkuse answered, and Sano yelled out of frustration.  
  
"How do you plan on getting yourself a girlfriend if you don't know?!" Sano exclaimed once again, and then turned to the girls, leaving a confused and shaken Rikkuse behind.  
  
"Sora, Jou-chan, Tae, Weasel Girl, you girls have to help me!" he begged, and the girl exchanged grins.  
  
"Okay, Sano, but it's gonna cost ya." Sora replied with a sly grin. She wondered how much she would get for this job. After all, this wasn't an easy job.  
  
"Anything! I'll give each of you two thousand dollars to spend in Yokohama if you help me get Megumi back!" (Jeez... The guy's desperate...)  
  
Sora and the others couldn't believe their ears! TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS for each? They COULDN'T pass this up!  
  
"Okay, Sano! We'll help you get Megumi back, right, guys?" Sora beamed as the other girls grinned.  
  
"YEAH  
  


* * *

  
TO BE CONTINUED,,,  
  
Most of you might think, Megumi's being a little too drastic but, remember, this isn't the first time Sano does this. But he must really love her if he's willing to part with eight thousand dollars for her. He he...  
  
Once more, I'm SO SORRY I couldn't update before! All of you must have been really upset at me... I'm sorry... But I have problems, so try to be patient. BTW, after the next couple of chapters, I'm gonna dedicate some time to my zoids fic for a while which I've been neglecting lately. So I won't update in this fic for a while. Just enjoy this chapter and pray I update my zoids fic fast! (If I don't, someone's gonna die... might be me...) Well, review and make Sora-chan happy! ^_^x  
  
P.S. Happy Valentine's Day in advance!!! 


	18. Kamimura vs Morimoto

Hi there, guys! I decided to update twice the same day, since I had this  
chapter written up since a long time ago anyway. Hope you like it.  
  
Disclaimer: I won't bother... You all know it by heart anyway...  
  
Chapter 18: "Kamimura" vs. Morimoto  
  
After the "Sano offering $2,000 to each of the girls if they help him get Megumi back" incident, and a ride to the hotel, the Kenshingumi were checking out their rooms. The rooms had double king-sized beds (courtesy of Sano's allowance), and because of that, the Kenshingumi was divided in pairs. Kaoru, surprisingly, went with Sora instead of with Misao, probably because she wanted some peace and quiet; Misao went with Tae, Sano with Aoshi, Soujiro with Yahiko, Kenshin with Rikkuse and Megumi with Tsubame. (I know the pairs were a bit unexpected, but deal with it, okay? They're like that for a reason... ^_^x)  
  
As Kaoru and Sora entered the room they were going to share, they could just stare in awe at the fancy bedroom. There were two king-size beds, a decorated pair of drawers to put their clothes in while they stayed, it had a TV with DVD player, and cable, plus they had two comfy sofas. Other than that, there was the decorations, rugs, paintings, etc. The bathroom had two closed showers, a toilet, double sink, and a Jacuzzi. The room made Kaoru and Sora feel like they were princesses in their royal chambers.  
  
"Oh, WOW! This room is so amazing! I can't believe this is where I'm gonna be staying!" Kaoru exclaimed incredulously.  
  
"Yeah... but then again, "His Imperial Highness Lord Sanosuke Sagara I from Tokyo" is the one paying for it, so I guess it should be only the best." Sora explained, and Kaoru giggled and nodded.  
  
The girls unpacked, as their friends in the other rooms did the same. After they unpacked, Kaoru and Sora dressed themselves up with "tourist" clothes. They, together with the other girls, were going to see the sights nearby and check out the local shops. You know... to plan what they were gonna buy once they got paid by helping Sano. (Of course, Megumi doesn't know this.) The boys were staying in the hotel, planning to go to the gym, the courts, and the pool. After changing and unpacking, the girls met in the lobby of the hotel.  
  
"Well, guys, are you ready to go sightseeing?" Misao asked and all the girls gave her cheery, positive responses.  
  
"Then let's go!" Kaoru said and they all headed out.  
  
They decided to look around town first. Their first stop was the temple, where they decided to pray for the wishes.  
  
"I wish I could tell Kenshin how I fell..." obviously, that was Kaoru's wish.  
  
"I wish Aoshi-sama would ask me to be his girlfriend." Wished non other than our Weasel Girl.  
  
"I wish I could know how Yahiko feels about me..." came Tsubame's wish.  
  
"I wish that Tsunan would ask me out again." Was Tae's wish.  
  
"I wish that idiot gets a brain, although it seems impossible." Megumi said as Sano probably sneezed wherever he was. (They say if you sneeze, someone's talking about you...) Hey, do all the girls only care about guys and romance? No, wait! We still have another wish left to be made!  
  
"I wish I'll become an Olympic Martial Arts Champion someday." Was the wish of our one and only Sora! (I really wish I'll become an Olympic Martial Arts Champion one day. Better keep training, if I want to achieve that goal... ^_^x)  
  
"What did you wish for, Kaoru?" Misao asked her buddy.  
  
Kaoru answered, "It's a secret. How 'bout you?".  
  
"It's a secret too!" Misao giggled.  
  
After their wishes, the girls decided to split up. Sora and Kaoru wanted to check out some kendo stuff at a store and take a peek at the local dojo, while the other girls decided to go to clothes and jewelry stores. Soon, Kaoru and Sora were in front of a martial arts and anime goods store. The store was decorated with posters of famous martial artists like Bruce Lee, and with famous anime stars as well, like Rurouni Shinta.  
  
"Oh, look at that! That's a mahogany bokken! They're supposed to be really good." Kaoru commented as she looked over the wooden sword.  
  
"Over here they have martial arts defense equipment. I think I'll buy some. Pretty soon I'll have to practice fight against someone, and my sensei said I HAD to wear equipment, even if I don't need it." Sora said to herself as she looked over all the equipment. Then she heard Kaoru squeal. "Huh?"  
  
She turned around only to see Kaoru jumping up and down, looking at some posters. Sora went over to her, and saw that Kaoru was pointing at an AWESOME Rurouni Shinta poster.  
  
"Oooooohhhhh, I WANT IT!!!" Kaoru squealed as she kept on bouncing. Sora liked it too. Fortunately, there were two posters left. The girls bought it and headed to the dojo next door, which housed a trio of brothers: the oldest did Tae-kwon-do (Age: 18), the second one did Kendo (Age 17), and the youngest was like a receptionist at the dojo(Age 14). They had been running the dojo since the oldest was 12.  
  
Kaoru and Sora entered the dojo and were welcomed by the youngest of the brothers, Koji Morimoto.  
  
"Welcome, young ladies, to the Morimoto dojo, where we practice Tae-kwon-do and Kendo. Are you martial artists by any chance?" he asked, sounding so professional for his age that he made the girls giggle.  
  
"Yep, we're martial artists." Sora replied, and the boy brought out a clipboard.  
  
"Hmm, interesting. By any chance do any of you practice one of the martial arts that are practiced at this dojo?" he started his interrogation.  
  
"Yes, I practice kendo, and my friend here practices both kendo AND tae- kwon-do." Kaoru answered. The boy flipped through some of the papers in the clipboard.  
  
"Hmm, interesting. Would you two by any chance would like to do an exhibition match against the leaders of the dojo?" he kept on his interrogation. "Although I doubt that a pair of beautiful girls like you two would like to spar against two masters."  
  
"I don't know about you, Kaoru, but I'm taking them on." Sora said as she cracked her knuckles. ( I do that a lot, especially before throwing punches.   
  


* * *

  
"I'll take 'em on too!" Kaoru replied excitedly, and Koji smiled.  
  
"Excellent, ladies. Would you like the rules?" he asked, and the girls nodded. "Okay. You are to fight two on two against my brothers. You may use any of the two martial arts they practice. And before the fight starts, you have to state your name, age and where you're from."  
  
"Oh? And why is that?" Kaoru asked, and Koji shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Dunno. Some dumb rule my elder brother made up. Well, you up for it?"  
  
"Okay. But... I just have one question." Kaoru said, and the boy raised his eyebrows. "What clothes will we use? I don't think we can fight with these on..." Kaoru said as she eyed herself up. She was wearing shorts, a tank top and sandals.  
  
"Don't worry, ladies. Come to our warehouse, where you'll find everything you need, from shinais to tae-kwon-do belts. I will have to ask you to use the belt of your real rank, please." He said and Sora nodded. She hoped they had a black belt lying around somewhere.  
  
The girls went to change, and get ready for the face-off: Kamiya and Himura, hence "Kamimura" girls vs. the Morimoto Brothers.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
Please Read and Review!!! -Sora-chan ^_^x 


	19. Double Crush!

Oh, hey guys! I decided to update for RKHM before I updated any more to my  
zoids fic because, well, I just couldn't resist! BTW, I got a Kenshin sticker album! If I get all 203 stickers, I win a RK poster and other great  
prizes! Only missing 94 stickers! Wish me luck!  
  
Disclaimer: I won't say it. It's hopeless...  
  
Chapter 19: Double Crush  
  
Kaoru and Sora where in a locker room changing into proper martial arts outfits, Kaoru into a gi and hakamas, while Sora put a tae-kwon-do uniform on.  
  
"So, do you think these guys will be tough?" Kaoru asked as she tied her hakamas, making sure they were comfortable.  
  
"Nah. I'm sure we'll beat 'em up." Sora answered as she tightened the Tae- kwon-do belt around her waist. Yep, she had found a black belt, among other things. After she finished fastening her belt, she bent down and picked up a mahogany bokken. "Hey, look, Kaoru. Just like the one you wanted."  
  
"Oh, that's right! I want to use it. Hmm... do you think that if I ask them really nicely... they'll give it to me?" Kaoru wondered as she put one of her "cutie" faces on. Sora laughed at her.  
  
"Of course! With a face as cute as that, who could resist you?" she joked, and they both cracked up laughing. Then, when they were both ready, they walked to the lobby, where Koji was waiting for them.  
  
"Wow! You guys look great! You are definitely martial artists!" he cried enthusiastically, and the girls blushed. Then he regained his composure. "Right this way." He motioned them to follow him. The girls obliged.  
  
They were led to a wooden dojo that had two of its four walls covered in awards to the Morimoto brothers; one with kendo awards and one with tae- kwon-do awards. Another of the walls was filled with plaques with the names of the school's students. The last wall was empty, which was the one where the door was. At the back of the room, in front of the wall with the student plaques, sat two young men apparently meditating. Koji told the girls to stay outside until he told them to, and they did. Then Koji cleared his throat. The two boys opened their eyes and stood up.  
  
"What is it, Koji? This better be important." Said the oldest brother, Hiroki (18), who did tae-kwon-do. The other brother was Tatsuyo (17) and he did kendo.  
  
"Yeah. We're meditating." Said Tatsuyo, and Koji brought out his clipboard.  
  
"It is important. You two have challengers, one for each of the martial arts practiced in this dojo." He announced, sounding very professionally. His brothers laughed.  
  
"Koji, you sound just like a business man!" Hiroki laughed, and Koji smiled sheepishly.  
  
"Well, anyway, who are our challengers? Are they those big, stupid, ugly guys from last time?" Tatsuyo asked, and Koji smirked.  
  
"Nope. But I hope you give them a good fight." He said as he motioned the girls to come in. Kaoru was the first to come in.  
  
"My name's Kaoru Kamiya, age 17, from the Kamiya Dojo in Tokyo." Kaoru declared, as Koji applauded. WHAM!!! Tatsuyo couldn't believe his eyes! In front of his eyes was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and she was challenging him! All he did was stare at Kaoru, and contemplate how beautiful she was. Hiroki noticed his brother was staring.  
  
"Umm, Tatsuyo? Bro? Hello..." he said as he waved his hand in front of his brother, and Tatsuyo snapped out of it.  
  
"Huh? What? Where?" Tatsuyo said cluelessly looking around.  
  
"You were staring." Hiroki smirked, and Tatsuyo blushed.  
  
"I can't help it. God, she's beautiful! I've never seen any girl like her before." Tatsuyo sighed, and Hiroki rolled his eyes. What he didn't know was that he wasn't ready for what was coming next...  
  
Now Sora came in, and stood next to Kaoru. Double WHAM! Now Hiroki couldn't believe his eyes. In front of his eyes was the most gorgeous girl HE had ever seen. To think that she was his challenger...  
  
"And... you are...?" he asked dreamily, and Sora answered.  
  
"My name's Sora Himura, age 15, from the Hamazaki Dojo in Tokyo." She announced, as Koji applauded once more. (Seems to me like he's buttering up people... oh well.) Now it was Tatsuyo's turn to wave his hand in front of his brother.  
  
"Look who's talking...Mr. I Can't Stop Staring at the Girl Standing Right in Front of Me." Tatsuyo whispered, and then shook his head. All of a sudden, his brother turned around and pulled him with him.  
  
"Whoa! What's wrong, Hiroki?" Tatsuyo asked as his brother motioned him to be quiet.  
  
"Tatsuyo, I can't do this!" Hiroki whispered, and Tatsuyo looked puzzled.  
  
"Why not?" he asked.  
  
"Because... that girl... Sora, was it? She is MY opponent. And I..." he started, but his brother already knew that Hiroki had fallen in love with the amethyst-eyed girl instantly. Just like him with Kaoru.  
  
"Hmm... Now I get it... Now I don't wanna do this either... I can't hurt the girl... what was her name? Kaoru, right?" Tatsuyo asked, and his brother nodded.  
  
While the guys kept on with their little "secret" meeting, Sora and Kaoru were getting a little impatient. Why were these doofuses taking so long?  
  
"What the heck is wrong with them? Are they too scared to fight us, or what?" Kaoru asked, and Koji shrugged.  
  
"I don't know what's going on inside my brothers's head. I'll go find out. You girls wait here." Koji said as the girls nodded.  
  
Koji then ran over to his older brothers and whacked them on the head. WHACK!!!!! The two other guys were swirly-eyed, and Koji looked really ticked off.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you guys? You have two beautiful challengers that are getting desperate! Now get your lazy BUTTS over there and SHOW them what you're made of!!!" He yelled, as his brothers covered their ears.  
  
"But..." Hiroki started, but Koji started yelling at them again.  
  
"No buts! I know you two like them, it's as plain as day!" he first yelled, and then whispered (the part about them liking Kaoru and Sora, obviously), as Hiroki and Tatsuyo blushed. "I know it's hard to fight against someone you like, but think about it! They must thing that you guys are total JERKS for making them wait so long!"  
  
"But, Koji..." Tatsuyo said, and Koji whacked him on the head again, and started telling him off. On the other side of the room, Kaoru and Sora had to keep themselves from cracking up. It was so funny to see little Koji telling off his older (and much more taller) brothers, and watch them almost whimpering and apologizing.  
  
"Hmm, I guess HE's the one in charge around..." Sora commented, and Kaoru giggled.  
  
"Yeah, it appears so." She replied.  
  
Now, back to Koji, Hiroki, and Tatsuyo...  
  
"If you guys go out there and beat them without hurting them, and by doing super-cool moves, I'm sure they'll be impressed. It going to be a date for sure! Now you guys get out there and capture those girls's hearts!" Koji commanded, and his older brothers nodded and stood facing Sora and Kaoru.  
  
"I am Hiroki Morimoto, age 18, master of the Morimoto Tae-kwon-do Gym of Yokohama." Said obviously Hiroki.  
  
"And I am Tatsuyo Morimoto, age 17, master of the Morimoto Kendo school of Yokohama." Said Tatsuyo. Then Sora saluted Hiroki, and Kaoru did to Tatsuyo. Then they got into fighting stances.  
  
"We have a face-off! The Morimoto Brothers vs. the "Kamimura" girls!" Koji proclaimed, and Sora and Kaoru stood with huge interrogation marks over their heads.  
  
"HUH? 'Kamimura'?" Sora said puzzled, as she and Kaoru sweatdropped. "I guess he just stuck our two last names together..." she said, and Kaoru replied with a nod. Then they both turned to face the Morimoto brothers.  
  
"Are you ready?" Hiroki said in a smooth voice to Sora.  
  
"Hmm. Don't take me lightly just because I'm a girl." She warned him, and a smile escaped Hiroki's lips.  
  
"I have to say, it's going to be hard for me to fight such a beautiful opponent." He said in a once more smooth tone of voice, and Sora blushed.  
  
"Is he hitting on me?" Sora asked herself in her mind, but then shook the thought off. "Whatever. The first move is yours." She told Hiroki, who nodded.  
  
"As you wish." He said. "I hope she doesn't get scared or anything..." Hiroki thought to himself. "Oh well, here I come!" He ran to Sora, and he threw a punch at her. He was going to hit her, he softened the force of his blow, but then... Sora wasn't there!  
  
"Huh? Where did she go?" he asked as he looked around. But then he heard something from above...  
  
"Over here!" she said as she landed behind him, and threw a punch at him that landed on his left cheek. Thank God that they had protective equipment, or he would have a dislocated cheekbone... WHAM!!!!!!!!! Hiroki staggered from the force of Sora's punch, his eyes wide. "Whoa! How did she do that?!" he exclaimed mentally. He had never seen someone move as fast as she did, or a girl that could throw a punch like THAT before... One that he felt even through the protective equipment...  
  
"Oops. Sorry. I think I got a bit carried away..." Sora apologized. But Hiroki smiled at her.  
  
"No, it's okay. It's just that I never expected a girl to punch that hard." He explained. Sora got into her fighting stance.  
  
"Well, get ready to feel the power of the dragon." She said and the fight continued.  
  
As Sora and Hiroki's match followed its course, Kaoru looked straight at Tatsuyo. He was smiling too. She shuddered. She noticed how Hiroki hit at Sora, and worried that Tatsuyo would hit on her.  
  
"Hmm. Those two started, so, what do you say if you and I get this thing going on, babe?" Tatsuyo told her, and Kaoru knew for sure he was hitting on her.  
  
"Whatever. I also give you the first move." She said, and Tatsuyo arched his eyebrow in question.  
  
"Why is that?" he asked.  
  
"A "Kamimura" rule. Always let the opponent have the first move." She explained, and Tatsuyo was satisfied with the answer, because he held his mahogany bokken tightly. Then, Kaoru remembered something. "Umm, Tatsuyo, right?"  
  
"Yes. What's wrong?" he asked, and Kaoru shook her head.  
  
"Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to ask you if I could keep this mahogany bokken if I beat you." She said sweetly, and Tatsuyo couldn't resist her.  
  
"Sure thing." He said smiling, but then he whispered, "but you'll owe me a date if I beat YOU."  
  
"What was that?" Kaoru inquired, but Tatsuyo just smiled. (Hmm... I wonder if these guys are somehow related to Soujiro... Too much smiling...)  
  
"Nothing. Let's start." He said as he bowed, and charged Kaoru, with his bokken raised. He brought it down, but Kaoru parried it with mastery. Then she jumped backwards. Now she charged. She feinted a blow, which Tatsuyo thought he was gonna block, but instead, Kaoru hit him on the side of his chest. She had scored.  
  
"Whoa, she's good." Tatsuyo thought, as they faced each other again. Then, Kaoru charged him, and their bokken met with a wooden thud. Then Kaoru did a turn, and made her way to his back. WHAM!!!!!!!! Tatsuyo was flung frontward. He missed the outside of the limits by a centimeter. He quickly got up.  
  
"This isn't over yet!" he said, and he charged her again.  
  
Meanwhile, Hiroki did a turning kick that Sora dodged with ease. She appeared next to him and hit him with a spear strike. Hiroki felt the blow hard. Man, what WAS she? Some kind of demon or something? Not even his former teacher could dodge his turning kicks, or get next to him that fast, or make him stumble with a spear strike. But he was too distracted with his own train of thought. Sora crouched and swung a perfect low kick that had Hiroki eating the floor. WHAM!!! I guess that hurt him too...  
  
After whipping Hiroki a couple more times, Sora was getting bored. "Hmm... this fight is a little boring. Better finish it." Sora said, and got into a weird stance. It was the KuzuRyuSen stance, one that belonged to the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. Hiroki looked at her curiously.  
  
"What is she doing?" he wondered, as she looked like she was holding a sword. Soon enough, his answer came to him.  
  
"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Nine-headed Dragon!" she cried out, and Hiroki received the force of the KuzuRyuSen but with punches and kicks. He was sent out of the arena. CRUSHED!!!!!  
  
"Sora Himura is the winner!!!" Koji proclaimed as Hiroki just laid on the floor, wide-eyed. Everything happened so fast... He was just standing there, she moved. In a split second, he received nine blows... Then he was flung out of the arena... How could that girl have done that?  
  
"Way to go, Miss Sora! That was amazing!" Koji exclaimed, as Sora smiled. She had been dying to try out the KuzuRyuSen that way, but had never gotten a chance. Neither her cousin nor Rikkuse wanted to serve as the punching bag, and asking Zenki to just stand there and receive nine blows in a split second was out of the question...  
  
Tatsuyo was about to hit Kaoru, but she dodged, then she jumped and brought the bokken down on his head.  
  
"Gotcha!" she yelled as she slammed down on his head. WHAM!!!!! Tatsuyo was swirly-eyed. CRUSHED!!! It was over! She had won!  
  
"Unbelievable! The "Kamimura" girls have beaten the Morimoto brothers!" Koji proclaimed, and the girls were smiling placidly.  
  
"That's what you get for messing with Kaoru Kamiya, Master of the Kamiya Kasshin Style." Kaoru declared.  
  
"And Sora Himura, Future Instructor of the Hamazaki Dojo and Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style." Sora added. The boys (except Tatsuyo, who was unconscious) were surprised. They were both masters... No wonder... Kaoru then showed Sora the mahogany bokken.  
  
"Tatsuyo said I could have it if I beat him. Now it's mine!" Kaoru said enthusiastically. Then they both headed to the lockers to change, leaving a sweatdropping Koji, a stunned Hiroki and a swirly-eyed Tatsuyo.  
  
"Whoa..." was all Hiroki could say.  
  
******************  
  
They were all in front of the Morimoto dojo, Kaoru and Sora shaking hands with the boys.  
  
"You guys are amazing." Hiroki said, and the girls giggled.  
  
"You truly creamed us." Tatsuyo added.  
  
"Good fight, girls." Koji said. Then the girls started to walk away.  
  
"Bye, see ya!" the two girls waved goodbye as they walked towards the town. Hiroki turned to his younger brothers.  
  
"Those girls... Sora... amazing..." he said incoherently.  
  
"Hiroki, that last punch she gave you was really strong, wasn't it?" Koji said, and his brother shook his head.  
  
"It wasn't one punch, Koji. It was nine blows I received in a split second." He said, as he observed the girl of his dreams walk away.  
  
"Wow..." Koji and Tatsuyo said, then Koji turned to Hiroki. "Hiroki, I'm sorry to say this, but you don't make a good couple with Sora."  
  
"And why is that?" Hiroki asked insulted.  
  
"She's fifteen. You're seventeen. She makes a better couple with me." Koji said, then his brother grabbed him and started giving him noogies.  
  
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that! Sora's gonna be mine, you just watch!"  
  
"Ha! Both me and Kaoru are seventeen. We make a perfect match!" Tatsuyo smirked. "I'll capture her heart, you just wait!"  
  
The two brothers entered their dojo, and Sora and Kaoru were almost to the town square. What they didn't know was that, in a nearby alley, a pair of eyes was watching Kaoru intently...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
***********  
  
Well, how did you guys like that? Hope it was to your enjoyment! "Kamimura" power! BTW, this story is coming close to the end. Probably five or six more chapters... But when they DO come... Yeah! Probably the chapters everyone has been waiting for! Read and review, please! ^_^x 


	20. It's gonna rain

Oh, WOW! 300 and something reviews! Sora-chan is so happy! I can't believe it! Thanks, guys! You're the best! By the way, sorry for the typo in the last chapter, you know, at the beginning I said Hiroki was 18, and at the end I accidentally wrote seventeen! Hehe... Gomen for that... Well, thanx anyway to Zenki-sama for pointing it out... And to Yukiko too. I'm glad you reviewed, Yukiko, otherwise I would have had to kill you at school... Hehe... Note: I'm only missing 3 STICKERS TO FINISH MY KENSHIN ALBUM!!! YEAH!!!  
  
Disclaimer: Things I don't own: 1) a car, 2) a million bucks, 3) driver's license, 4) sixteen years...100,000,000,) Rurouni Kenshin, etc. Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki. But the characters of Sora, Rikkuse, Taiichi, Okka-san, Hiroki, Tatsuyo, and Zenki belong to me... Only those for now...  
  
This chapter is dedicated to my friend Yukiko, because she's Misao and she loves Aoshi. ^_^x  
  
Chapter 20: It's Gonna Rain  
  
Kaoru and Sora were walking back to the hotel, where they were supposed to meet up with the other girls. As they were crossing through the beautiful streets of Yokohama, they were full of admiration for this city. The streets were all clean and litter-free, there were green areas everywhere, and also a huge park with ponds and swings and everything. There were so many stores in the streets, that sold all kinds of stuff, from toys to clothes to food, etc. The girls were now a street away from the hotel.  
  
"Kaoru, we have to think of some way to help Sano." Sora said, and Kaoru nodded. They just had to help the poor Rooster-head.  
  
"Maybe he wouldn't be in this mess if he just had more respect for Megumi. I mean, if you have a girlfriend, what the heck are you doing checking out some other girls in bikinis?! And then he said that he doesn't see babes like that at Tokyo. Well, apparently, when he's in Tokyo he has holes for eyes, because you, Megumi, Misao and I are much better looking than any of those girls that day!" Kaoru huffed, and made a funny face. Sora was laughing.  
  
"You know, the way you say that makes it sound like you are JEALOUS of Sano looking at those girls." Sora snickered.  
  
"Jealous?! For THAT rooster-head? You gotta be kidding me!" she screamed at Sora, who winced and covered her ears. After Kaoru was done yelling at her, Sora spoke up.  
  
"You're right. You wouldn't be jealous for Sano... Now, if it where Kenshin..." she said suggestively, and Kaoru started blushing.  
  
"I wouldn't be jealous if it were Kenshin!" Kaoru countered, but Sora snickered.  
  
"Of course you would. You like him, don't you?"  
  
"Yes, no, maybe." Kaoru said turning around. Sora dropped the subject. She had felt a drop fall on the tip of her nose. They looked up and noticed the huge gray clouds and even more drops falling.  
  
"Shoot, it's raining!" Sora said as she and Kaoru started in a flat-out run. They ran all the way to the hotel. By the time they got there, they were soaked to the bone and it was raining even harder, with no signs of stopping. Meanwhile, in the hotel's gym...  
  
"Guys, Sora and Kaoru haven't come back yet... Do you think something happened to them?" Rikkuse started to worry. Right now he was using one of those machines that you use to do sit-ups. Sano was doing weightlifting, and Kenshin was doing pushups. Aoshi and Soujiro were nowhere to be found.  
  
"Stop being such a worry wart. Jou-chan and your girlfriend can take care of themselves." Sano said. At the mention of Sora as his girlfriend, Rikkuse was blushing as red as Kenshin's hair.  
  
"Sora's not my girlfriend." He said, as his brother gave him an "I don't believe it" look. "I haven't asked her... yet."  
  
"So, you're planning on asking my cousin to be your girlfriend, aren't you?" Kenshin smiled happily. "Good. Another man around my house would do me some good... Besides, maybe Taiichi would calm down. She loves to spend time with who she calls "Rooster-head's brother, Rikkuse-chan". Except, I would have to ask you not to wear any gel on your hair again." Kenshin added, and then they started laughing. The incident had happened one day when Rikkuse had come over to Sora's house...  
  
Flashback  
  
Rikkuse had just come through the doorway, and was being greeted by Okka- san. Sora peeked from her doorway to see who it was, and smiled when she saw who it was.  
  
"Hey, Rikku." Sora greeted, and Rikkuse greeted her back.  
  
"Hello, Sora." He said. He then looked up to his hair. He had been at a pool that day, and the chlorine didn't let his hair spike up like it usually did. So he had to put some of Sano's gel on. It was the first time in his life he had put on gel. Then, unexpectedly, someone jumped onto his back and held onto his hair. Guess who...  
  
"Hello, Rikkuse-chan... Eww! My hands are full of gel!" Taiichi yelled as she looked at her "gelified" hands. Rikkuse was sweatdropping and Sora was laughing really hard. At that moment, Kenshin walked into the hallway, and Taiichi jumped off Rikkuse and wiped her hands on Kenshin's clothes. Now it was Kenshin's turn to sweatdrop.  
  
"Hey, Taiichi-chan! What's the big deal?" he complained as he looked as his gel-covered pants. Now Sora was at the point that her gut hurt of laughing so much...  
  
End of Flashback  
  
"I'll never put gel on again!" Rikkuse said, and the others agreed that it was the best idea.  
  
"Hey, let's check if the girls are back yet." Kenshin said, leading the way out of the gym. The others followed suit. They entered the lobby from the gym at the same time Kaoru and Sora did. When he saw them, Rikkuse exclaimed relieved.  
  
"Finally! I was beginning to think something had happened to you guys!" he exclaimed, and the girls couldn't help but feel grateful to him for worrying about them. "Whoa! You guys are soaked. Rain along the way?"  
  
"RAIN?! Are you kidding? It's a downpour out there!" Kaoru complained as she wrung her hair, a waterfall falling out. Same with Sora's hair. Their bangs were plastered to their faces. And their clothes... They were all wet and sticking to their bodies. They looked like they had just jumped into a pool and come out.  
  
"Sorry we took so long, guys! It's just that we stopped at the local Martial Arts gym, and we participated in an exhibition match. Kaoru won a mahogany bokken, just what she wanted. I didn't get anything for winning, though. We also bought two RS posters!" Sora explained.  
  
"Yeah! They're so AWESOME!!! Shinta looks so DAMN HOT!!!" Kaoru said starry- eyed, while Kenshin, Sano and Rikkuse rolled their eyes. Trust a girl to fall in love with an anime character... Suddenly, Sora burst out coughing. It didn't sound too pretty.  
  
"Are you alright?" Kenshin asked, as he patted her on the back. Her eyes were watery, and then she started sneezing.  
  
"Uh oh. Somebody's got a cold." Kaoru said, and Sora looked at her friend.  
  
"Is that supposed to be some kind of joke? ' Cause I don't find it funny!" she complained, then she started sneezing again.  
  
"You should take a warm bath, put on warm clothes, and cover yourself with blankets or something." Sano advised, and Sora, nodding, went to the elevator to go up to her and Kaoru's room. Kaoru followed right after.  
  
"Well, see you guys later." She waved as the elevator door closed.  
  
"Man, I hope Sora doesn't get terribly sick. If she does, she won't be able to have any fun." Rikkuse commented.  
  
"I hope she doesn't fall sick at all." Kenshin said, as the three boys headed to the gym again.  
  
Finally the elevator made it to the 12th floor. Kaoru and Sora got off, then headed to Megumi and Tsubame's room. They heard Tae's voice coming from there, so they assumed all the girls were there. They knocked.  
  
"Who is it?" came Megumi's voice from inside the room.  
  
"Sora and Kaoru." They answered, and the door opened.  
  
"Whoa! What happened to you two?" Tsubame asked, and Megumi put on her fox ears.  
  
"Looks like Raccoon and Dragon finally took a much needed bath! Ohohoho..." Megumi-Fox laughed her trademark "Ohoho" laugh.  
  
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Kaoru and Sora said annoyed, with those little crosses that appear on anime character's heads when they get ticked off. (Don't know how those are called. If anybody knows, please tell me! ^_^x) "Hey, Megumi, Tae, Tsubame..." Kaoru greeted as she looked at her friends, expecting to see Misao next. But she wasn't there.  
  
"Hey, where's Misao?" Sora asked, and the other girls gave her puzzled looks.  
  
"What? She isn't with you guys?" Tae asked, and Kaoru shook her head. "She set out to find you since you hadn't come back yet."  
  
"But it's pouring outside, and you can't see a thing!" Kaoru said, then she turned to see Sora running out of them room. "Hey! Sora, where're you... Never mind." She said to herself, as Sora had disappeared from view.  
  
Sora went running to the gym. The door was locked from the inside, since only the guys with special passes could use them. After knocking for a while longer, the door was opened by none other than Rikkuse. He had just taken his shirt off because he was all sweaty, before someone knocked on the door. He opened without putting on his shirt. As soon as he opened the door, Sora blushed. There was her best friend, the one she had known her whole life, with a damn perfect body, golden skin color, and those hard abs, those biceps... since when was he so muscular? Come to think of it, she hadn't seen him without his shirt on since almost three years ago, when they had gone to the beach with their families. But he didn't have those nice muscles back then. She couldn't say a word, as she just stood there in the doorway, blushing. But she shook it off.  
  
"Rikkuse, do you know where I can find Aoshi?" she asked him, but he shook his head.  
  
"No, I haven't seen him since this afternoon." He said, and he had barely finished answering when Sora set off somewhere else, so he put on his shirt and followed her. Sora had to use the skills learned with the Mitsurugi style to help her feel Aoshi's strength and find him. She concentrated hard, until BINGO! She felt his icy aura inside the hotel's interior gardens. She was running faster now, with a speed that matched Kenshin's. Rikkuse saw when she disappeared as she switched to god-like speed.  
  
"Damn! She moves too fast! Where did she go?" he wondered out loud as he stopped in the hotel's lobby. Meanwhile, Sora was opening the door to the interior gardens. Aoshi was at the end of the gardens, sitting next to an artificial waterfall, meditating, when he felt the aura of the Dragon girl. So he opened his eyes and looked straight at her before she said a word.  
  
"What is it, Dragon Princess?" he asked as he used his newly devised pet name for her. She usually blushed when they called her that, but now she didn't have time to waste. Every second that passed meant a second that Misao was out there all alone.  
  
"Aoshi, Misao's missing! She's out there somewhere lost in the city, and it's raining so hard you can barely see in front of your face!" she said all this really fast, then Aoshi's eyes went wide, and he disappeared out of her sight and out the door.  
  
*********************************  
  
"Oh man! It's raining so hard! And I don't have any idea where I am!" Misao whined as she ran under the rain. Somehow she had made it to the abandoned part of Yokohama, near a deserted warehouse. It could provide her with cover from the rain. But as she got closer to it, she hesitated. It was a run-down place, and the stories she had heard about it told of ghosts and spirits of the deceased at the fire that caused the warehouse to be abandoned, who roamed and haunted the place. A shiver went up her spine. "No way I'm going in there!" she said, and decided she would rather stay outside in the rain than chance going in THERE!  
  
"Brr... It's... c-c-cold..." she shivered. Then she sneezed. "I wish I knew were I was..." she was thinking this when a pair of freezing cold hands grabbed her. She screamed with all her might.  
  
********************************  
  
A young man wearing a white trench coat was running under the cold spring rain. He made stops at open restaurants and bars, asking if anyone had seen a girl with a long braid pass by there. Everyone shook their heads at him. Then man form the next store had no idea either. Aoshi was getting frustrated.  
  
"Misao, where are you?" he said to himself breathlessly, as he made his way through the water-streaming streets of Yokohama. An old vendor, unnoticed by the eyes of the people, sat under an umbrella, her shelter from the rain. She saw Aoshi running under the rain, and called out to him.  
  
"Hey there, young lad! Do you need shelter?" she asked, and Aoshi, hearing the woman's voice, ran to her.  
  
"No, thank you. But you could help me some other way." He answered the old woman, who smiled pleasantly.  
  
"It would be my pleasure! Now what can I do for you, son?" the kind old woman said, and Aoshi took out a picture of Misao he had hidden in an inner pocket of his coat and showed it to her. The old lady examined the picture carefully.  
  
"This your girl? What about her?" she asked as Aoshi blushed lightly. (OMG!!! Aoshi blushing!!! ^_^x)  
  
"I'm looking for her. Would you happen to have seen her pass by?" he asked. To his surprise, instead of frowning at him, the woman smiled at him.  
  
"Why, yes. She passed by here about half an hour ago! But it wasn't raining then." She explained, and Aoshi took her by the hand with both of his.  
  
"Please, you have to tell me which way she went!" he begged the woman, and she pointed to the south.  
  
"She went that way. The abandoned district of Yokohama is that way. I suggest you hurry up before something happens to her." She said, although Aoshi didn't finish listening, since he had already set off. The old lady adjusted her hat. "Good luck, my friend." She said, as she vanished, into thin air!  
  
*********************************  
  
"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh! Let me go! Let me go! I swear, if you don't let me go, you're gonna feel my Kansatsu Tobi Kunai!!!" Misao yelled as she squirmed back and forth, until the hands let her go. She turned around, kunai flashing menacingly, but then her face softened. It was an old man, wearing a weird hat, who was now sitting in front of a fireplace he had lightened inside. Next to him was a pile of blankets, and some canned food.  
  
"No need to alarm yourself, young lass. I just reckoned you might wanna get out of the rain. Sorry if I scared ya." He said gently, and Misao put away her kunai. The old man patted a spot next to the fireplace, and motioned for her to sit down. Misao was a bit reluctant. "C'mon, young lass. I don't mean no harm to ya." He said, but Misao was still reluctant to sitting down next to some stranger who had just given her the biggest scare of her life! To this, the man just responded with a "Suit yourself." As he poured himself some tea.  
  
After about 15 minutes, during the ones Misao had used her ninja powers to examine the man's aura, she decided he was safe to approach. After all, he HAD sheltered her from the rain, and he was acting very hospitably. She finally sat down.  
  
"Here." The man said, offering her a cup of tea. Misao took it gratefully. Then she examined it carefully, just to make sure it didn't have anything. The old man chuckled at her actions.  
  
"Oh, don't worry, lass. I can assure ya I put nuthin' in it." He said, and after some more careful testing, Misao decided to drink it. It was regular green tea, but to Misao it felt like the most wonderful thing in the world, warming her up. The man extended a blanket to her. Misao took it gratefully.  
  
"So, tell me, lass. What were ya doin' out there under the rain?" he asked, as Misao drank some more tea.  
  
"I was looking for two of my friends. But I got lost instead." She said, as the old man listened. Then she told him the whole story, starting with the conversation he had with Megumi and Tae about going to find Sora and Kaoru, and ending with how he had almost given her a heart attack. The old man started to laugh at this part. Seeing him laugh, Misao felt like laughing too. They laughed for quite a while, with no reason at all. Misao felt comfortable with this old man, and they started a nice little conversation. Somehow, the conversation leads to her crush on Aoshi.  
  
"So... this Aoshi... what's he like?" he asked her, and Misao blushed and put her hands to her face.  
  
"Oh, he's the most wonderful guy there is! He is so cute, and mysterious, silent, and cool..." she said, twirling around, as the man smiled, but then her smile turned into a frown. "But he has these icy blue eyes, and emotionless expression, so I don't know how he really feels about me..." she said, and the old man smiled to himself.  
  
"I'm sure he feels the same way about you." He said.  
  
"Really?" Misao asked dreamily, and the man nodded.  
  
****************************************  
  
"Here it is. The abandoned part of town. She might have sheltered herself here." Aoshi said to himself as he stood under the pouring rain. He might as well call out to her.  
  
"Misao, where are you? Misao!"  
  
Meanwhile, inside the warehouse, Misao stopped her conversation with the old man.  
  
"Hmm? I hear something..." she said, as they both listened attentively. Then it came to her ears, the most melodious sound that she had ever heard.  
  
"Aoshi! That's Aoshi's voice! He came to look for me!" Misao exclaimed excited, and the old man handed her an umbrella.  
  
"Here. Go to him." He said.  
  
"Oh, thank you so much for everything, mister!" she said, as she ran out the door, standing under the rain with the umbrella open over her head. The man just smiled and fixed his hat. Then, with a cold gust of wind, the man vanished into thin air.  
  
(A/n: Words between ... are song lyrics.)  
  
Ashidori mo karukushite chao chao.  
  
Torumono mo toriaezu chao chao  
  
Just her luck, Misao though. Thunder started to sound in the sky.  
  
Raion ga unaru mitai no raimei ga  
  
Taisan wo unagashite iru  
  
Dou naru no?  
  
Sou... mou sugu ame.  
  
"Damn it! I hate the rain!" Misao cursed, when she saw her dear Aoshi. He was running under the rain, soaked, his hair dripping, he was panting. But his face lit up when he saw her.  
  
Dai kirai ame nanka chao chao  
  
Mou sukoshi itai noni chao chao  
  
"Misao!" he called out to her happily. Then Misao started running to him.  
  
"Aoshi!" she cried out happily as she got closer to him.  
  
"Kaikan ga kaisan ni kawaru shunkan wo  
  
Raion ga isogaseta no wa  
  
Meihaku No! Meiwaku  
  
It's gonna rain!  
  
And when they got to each other, they kissed!  
  
Ame wa mou aribai wo kesu no?  
  
Kare wa mou wasurete shimau no?  
  
Futari wa mou korekiri ni naru no?  
  
Subete wa ame no seitte koto ni shite okou  
  
The two were kissing under the downpour. Misao couldn't believe it! Her Aoshi-sama was kissing her!  
  
It's gonna rain...  
  
It's gonna rain!  
  
Aoshi broke the kiss and Misao looked a bit disappointed.  
  
"Let's go back. Everyone's worried about you" he said, and then Misao had a sly look in her face.  
  
"Okay. Which way is it out of here?" she asked him, and he pointed north. "Okay. You gotta catch me first!" she called out to him, running in that direction. Aoshi smiled and started running after her, both laughing, then practically dancing under the rain.  
  
And they didn't know it, but a happy couple of spirits were gleefully watching over them from heaven.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
****************************  
  
Well, how was that chapter? I can't believe I found time between my HUGE load of schoolwork (15 biology newspaper articles, 30 health articles, 20 geo-activities, investigations and projects for Geometry, Spanish test next Friday, Questions about the Odyssey for English, History test, etc.) to write this chapter, but I really liked it! How 'bout you guys tell me what YOU think about it? Review, please! ^_^x  
  
P.S. Yukiko, after I went through all the trouble of writing and dedicating this chapter especially for you, the least you could do for me is review! You better leave me a nice juicy review, or I'll stop writing! (To all the readers, I'm just kidding.) ^_^x 


	21. Jealousy

Hiya! After almost a month, I'm back with an update. I finally found time to write, between all my work and stuff. School will soon be over so... YEAH! Vacation is just around the corner! Well, anyway, here's chapter 21. R & R!  
  
Disclaimer: You all know it. So, whatever.  
  
Chapter 21: Jealousy  
  
Misao sighed as she lay on her bed, in the room she shared with Tae. She was gazing at the ceiling, a really dreamy look on her face. A picture of her Aoshi-sama appeared in her mind. Then a flashback of yesterday night. She sighed again. She and Aoshi had kissed! She was blissfully ecstatic. All she had done the past evening was dance around, sigh and giggle. She had roused the curiosity of her friends, but they just thought she was like that because it had been Aoshi who had gone out to find her. So they didn't pay any mind to it.  
  
Kaoru and Tae were nowhere to be found, Sora noticed. Just how were they supposed to help Sano, if one of the four of them was ecstatic about something, and two were nowhere to be found? That only left her. And today was the deadline Sano had given them. No way she was missing out on two thousand dollars. So she decided to go give Sano advice on her own. As she walked down the hallway to Sano's room, she heard a door open behind her. She turned around, startled. It was Rikkuse, who was just coming out to go catch some air.  
  
"Oh. Sora. Didn't know you were out at this hour." He said, looking at his awesome platinum watch. It was about eleven thirty.  
  
"I'm looking for Sano. Do you know were he is?" she asked him.  
  
'Sano? What does she want Sano for?' he thought, but then mentally smacked himself. 'You moron... Nothing's going on between Sora and Sano. She just wants to ask him something. Yeah, that's it.' He convinced himself. All the while this was going on in his mind, all Sora did was stand there, giving him a funny look.  
  
"Umm... Rikkuse?" she waved in front of him. He snapped out of it.  
  
"Oh. Uh..." he said, thinking about where was the last place he saw Sano.  
  
"Could you please hurry? I'm late." Sora said, looking at her watch. The straps were red, and so was the face. The face was bordered with gold and in the center of the face it had a golden silhouette of a dragon. The hands and the points that marked the numbers were white. (Yay! Cool dragon watch! Just like mine in real life! ^_^x)  
  
"Um... don't quote me, but I think he was at the dining room or something." He said, and Sora lit up.  
  
"Great! Well, thanks. Gotta go. Got a "date" with a roosterhead." Sora laughed as she disappeared down the stairs, not knowing that she left Rikkuse shocked.  
  
"A... WHAT with a roosterhead?! Shit, you've gotta be kidding me! It's not possible!" Rikkuse said to himself. "Sano, how could you do this to me!?" he yelled devastated, with big teary eyes. But he stopped and started taking deep breaths. "Okay, Rikkuse. Calm down, calm down. Follow her and see what she and Sano are up to. Yeah. That's what I'm gonna do. You go." He said as he followed the path Sora had taken down the stairs.  
  
********************************************************  
  
Sano was at the sparkling dining room of the hotel. There were many people there, all drinking, chatting, some dancing, others just eating, all having a good time. Except him. He was sulking. It just wasn't the same without a girl to share it with. And he was itching to dance. But he had no partner. To top it off, Jou-chan and the others had said they would give him some girl advice, and tonight was the deadline. He hadn't caught a glimpse of any of them.  
  
"Am I destined to be alone, babeless for all eternity?" he asked a well- dressed young man that was sitting alone in the next table. The guy decided to humor him and answer back.  
  
"Apparently you aren't the only one, dude." He said, resting his head on his arms.  
  
"Yeah, I know." He said, now playing with the olive of his "aqueous" martini, which was really water with an olive, since he didn't drink. (Yay! Down with the Alcoholic Beverages! Drinking is bad for you. As I hope you all know. ^_^x)  
  
"So, did your girl dump you or what?" the dude asked him, and Sano nodded, looking bored. Then all of a sudden, he heard his name.  
  
"Sano!"  
  
He and the guy looked around. Sano looked really relieved to see Sora standing at the doorway.  
  
"It appears you aren't destined to be alone, babeless for all eternity." Said the guy, smirking at Sano.  
  
"Shut up. She's off limits." He snapped at the guy, who jumped back.  
  
"Okay. Okay! Don't bite me!" said the guy, returning to his own business. Sora made her way to Sano's table.  
  
"Sora-chan! I thought you would NEVER make it! Where are Jou-chan and the others?" he asked looking around, expecting to see the raccoon, the weasel and his sister pop out any moment now. Sora cleared her throat.  
  
"Ahem, well, since Weasel Girl is ecstatic for some reason, and Raccoo-I mean, Kaoru and your sister are nowhere to be found, and since tonight's the deadline, I came on my own to help you." She said, and Sano sighed in relief.  
  
Close by, a pair of aquamarine eyes were searching for a certain amethyst- eyed girl. He scanned the room until he found her. She was sitting at the same table as his brother.  
  
"Shit, you've gotta be kidding me!" he quoted himself. This COULDN'T be happening. They were talking, and Sora was laughing. He decided to blend in, to see if he could get closer and hear anything.  
  
Back to Sano and Sora...  
  
The music then changed. It was a danceable piece, and Sano had this huge urge of dancing.  
  
"Sora-chan, would you mind talking to me while we dance?" he said, getting up and extending a hand to her. Sora started to blush.  
  
"Me? Dance? But I..." she stammered. She had never danced this type of music before. Well, come to think of it, nobody had EVER asked her out to dance to this type of music before. Sano wasn't gonna take no for an answer.  
  
"Damn it! He's holding out his hand to her, and she's blushing!" Rikkuse cursed under his breath from his hiding place. It was getting worse by the minute.  
  
"Oh, come on, Sora! Just one piece." He begged, and Sora gave in.  
  
"Fine, fine. Just one." She said, and once in the dance floor, they started talking.  
  
"So, d'you have any ideas for me to get Megumi back?" he asked as they moved across the dance floor.  
  
"Well, Sano. There's only one way you can achieve it." She said  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"Tell her you love her. With utmost sincerity. No goofy names. None of that "Foxy Babe" stuff. No joking around. Only that way will you reach into the heart of a girl like Megumi." Sora said simply.  
  
"What, like this?" he said as he got on one knee and said, "I have something I want to tell you. The thing is... I love you."  
  
Sora started laughing at how funny Sano looked. Sano smiled back at her.  
  
At this point, Rikkuse was at the pinnacle of frustration. Even through the crowd, he had heard his brother say THAT to Sora. (That's all he heard. He didn't hear anything before or after that. Except he had seen Sora laughing happily and Sano smiling.) How could Sano DO this to him? To HIM, his own BROTHER!  
  
"I'll never forgive you, Sano. I'll never forgive you for this one." He muttered.  
  
After the song was over, Sora said she had to go. So she and Sano said their goodbyes and they each headed to their rooms through different paths. When Sano went through the doors, he didn't notice his brother leaning on the wall, looking down. That is, until Rikkuse *coughed*.  
  
"Oh hey, Rikkuse. What's up?" he asked him, but the younger boy just kept looking down. "Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. Rikkuse punched him, straight on the cheek. Sano stumbled back from the force of his brother's punch. Then Rikkuse disappeared into the elevator.  
  
"Damn, he punches HARD! This is gonna leave a mark. Oww!" he mumbled as he put his hand to his sore cheek. "Why would he do that? It's not like him to do that." Sano said to himself. But after thinking for a second, his eyes went wide. "Unless... Oh crap! Rikkuse, wait up!" he yelled as he quickly put his finger to the elevator button. It wouldn't answer. Apparently Rikkuse was still on it. "Double crap!" he cursed under his breath as he started to run up the stairs as fast as he could. He was doing five steps at a time.  
  
"Crud, crud, crud. He must think me and Sora... Oh Crap, crap, crap!" he muttered breathlessly until he finally made it to their floor, just as Rikkuse was opening his door, never once looking back.  
  
"Rikkuse, wait up!" he called out, but got to Rikkuse's door just as the younger boy smashed it. Sano cursed once more.  
  
"This could be a problem..."  
  
DEFINITLY TO BE CONTINUED  
  
Well, THAT came out longer that expected. All I'll say is... review if you wanna know what happens next! ^_^x 


	22. Flashbacks, flashbacks, more flashbacks

Sorry, sorry, SORRY!!!! Not my fault I couldn't update on the day I said, but, my dad's "beautiful" laptop's modem broke down on me, leaving me without Internet access! Oooh... boy, am I gonna be sooooo happy when he buys that desktop computer he's been saying he's gonna buy since a year ago... Oh well, you know parents. Note: DUe to something that happened, I WASN'T gonna update today, but then I thought about all of you and updated anyway.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it. So there.  
  
Chapter 22: Flashbacks, flashbacks, and more flashbacks  
  
Last time, in Rurouni Kenshin Highschool Madness:  
  
"Oh hey, Rikkuse. What's up?" Sano asked his brother, but the younger boy just kept looking down. "Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. Rikkuse punched him, straight on the cheek. Sano stumbled back from the force of his brother's punch. Then Rikkuse disappeared into the elevator.  
  
"Damn, he punches HARD! This is gonna leave a mark. Oww!" he mumbled as he put his hand to his sore cheek. "Why would he do that? It's not like him to do that." Sano said to himself. But after thinking for a second, his eyes went wide. "Unless... Oh crap! Rikkuse, wait up!" he yelled as he quickly put his finger to the elevator button. It wouldn't answer. Apparently Rikkuse was still on it. "Double crap!" he cursed under his breath as he started to run up the stairs as fast as he could. He was doing five steps at a time.  
  
"Crud, crud, crud. He must think me and Sora... Oh Crap, crap, crap!" he muttered breathlessly until he finally made it to their floor, just as Rikkuse was opening his door, never once looking back.  
  
"Rikkuse, wait up!" he called out, but got to Rikkuse's door just as the younger boy smashed it. Sano cursed once more.  
  
"This could be a problem..."  
  
Sano banged on his brother's door, pleading inwardly that he would answer. But Rikkuse wasn't about to open his door to him.  
  
"Damn it, Rikkuse! Open the freakin' door!" he yelled, but to no avail. Misao and Tae came out to see what all the racket was about.  
  
"What the heck is it, Rooster-head?" Misao snapped as she rubbed her eyes, coming out of her room. Tae just poked her head out the door.  
  
"Yeah, Sano. What did Rikku do now? Did you two get in a fist fight again?" Tae questioned, pointing out to Sano's sore cheek. Sano sweatdropped. And to worsen things, Sora had just arrived at the floor. She had been around the grounds, catching some fresh air before she decided to come to her room.  
  
"What's all the commotion about, guys?" she asked looking at Tae and Misao, then at Sano. Sano sweatdropped once more.  
  
"Shit... this is BAD!" he thought. "Oh, nothing." He said to Sora, his back turned to face the other two girls. With his hands he signaled them to play along.  
  
"Oh yeah! Nothing's wrong around here!" Misao said all too cheerfully, receiving a weird look from Sora.  
  
"Right." Sora said sarcastically. "Then why is it that Sano has a big LUMP on his cheek?" she said, and Sano sweatdropped once again.  
  
"Umm, well you see, I was coming up the stairs when Misao made me trip, and then I fell on my face and got a big LUMP on my cheek where I got hurt, all because of the stupid Weasel Girl." Sano tried to cover. Misao now looked like her scary weasel self.  
  
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME, YOU STUPID ROOSTER-HEAD?" Misao yelled, with a protruding vein on her head. Sano hid behind his sister.  
  
"Whatever." Sora yawned. "Goodnight, guys." she said as she opened the door to her room. She then shut the door behind her. Sano heaved a sigh of relief.  
  
"Phew... That was close." He said as he wiped his forehead. If Sora found out about this, there was no telling what she would do.  
  
"Well?" a voice said behind Sano, making him sweatdrop. He turned around to find two curious girls looking at him.  
  
"Umm... well... you see..." Sano started, but he didn't wanna tell them.  
  
"Sano, I know where you're getting at! Spit it out right now!" his sister demanded, with a glimmer in her look, and Sano gulped. She could be SCARY!!!  
  
"Um... well, the thing is that... I asked you guys for help with Megumi, and today was the deadline, right?" he said, and suddenly, Misao and Tae got jumpy.  
  
"Oh My GOD!!! Sorry, Sano! We forgot all about it!!!" they apologized at the same time.  
  
"Well, whatever. Sora gave me the advice. She's getting two thousand dollars, IF it works, and NONE for you, since you forgot. Business is business." He said, holding up his index finger. Now Misao had BIG teary eyes.  
  
"No fair! I wanted to go shopping!" she whined, but then she changed back to being serious. "Hey! You're drifting away from the subject!"  
  
Sano sweatdropped. Wasn't there any way to shake them off? "Fine, fine. Well, Sora went to give me some advice, and we were in the dining room, and I asked her out to dance, and when she told me what to tell Megumi, I practiced with her, and then, well, I think all that time Rikkuse was there, and he thought me and Sora were on a date, and to top it off, what Sora told me to tell Megumi that I practiced with her would upset any guy if he liked a girl but then his brother says that to that girl. And I'm POSITIVE he saw AND heard us, because after I came out of the dining room he was leaning on the wall looking down, all serious and stuff, and when I asked him what was wrong, I got a JAB on my face!" He said weakly, all too fast. Misao and Tae replied with a big "Oh."  
  
"So... Let me get this straight. Rikkuse thinks you and Sora were out on a date, and that you told her you loved her?" Misao asked, and Sano nodded.  
  
"Oh my god! Now I understand why Rikku won't open the door!"  
  
Meanwhile, in Kenshin and Rikkuse's room...  
  
"Rikkuse, why won't you open the door for your brother? Did you two get in a fight again?" Kenshin asked the golden-haired boy. Rikkuse was sitting on the windowsill next to his bed, looking out the window. Kenshin noticed he looked... well, upset.  
  
"I'll never forgive him." He said simply, just when Kenshin was about to give up the possibility that Rikkuse would answer. "Never."  
  
Not once did he switch his gaze from the window. He sounded sad, serious, totally the opposite of his normal self. Kenshin got up from his own bed and sat on Rikkuse's bed, facing to the window too.  
  
"What did he do now?" he asked Rikkuse, who kept silent for a while. But then he answered.  
  
"I saw him and Sora. They were in the dining room. Sano even asked her out to dance. And what I heard him tell her, that just shattered my heart to pieces. I mean, he knows I'm in love with Sora, but not only did he take her out, but he told her that... that... thing." He said, not daring to say the phrase Sano told Sora. It was such a big phrase. So short, yet so big. One that even HE was afraid to say. A phrase that expressed the maximum feelings a person could have for another. Kenshin's eyes went wide.  
  
"What?!" he said, unable to believe what he was hearing. How could Sano, knowing Rikkuse was in love with Sora, ask her out and then tell her he LOVED her? That must have been the most heartless thing Sano could have ever done in his life. "I'll talk to him."  
  
But Rikkuse had drifted back into his own little sad thoughts.  
  
Meanwhile, Sano, Misao, and Tae were all in the girl's room. The girls were trying to come up with a way for Sano to get Rikkuse to listen to him, so he could tell him what had really happened. But apparently, it wasn't going to be easy.  
  
"Oh, Sano. That must have broken Rikkuse's poor heart." Tae said, her voice expressing pity towards Rikkuse.  
  
"Really? It would hurt him THAT much?" Misao asked from her position of lying on her bed on her tummy, her head propped up by her hands.  
  
"Why, yes, Misao. Rikkuse's had the cutest crush on Sora since a very long time." Tae explained surprised that Misao hadn't noticed. After all, Misao was always the first to notice things when it came to romance.  
  
"Really? Tell me all about it!" Misao asked eagerly, curious to know how it all started, and to update her database. Tae nodded.  
  
"Ok."  
  
Flashback  
  
It was a hot summer day in downtown Tokyo. A chibi Sano, chibi Rikkuse, chibi Tae and an even chibier Tsubame were out playing in their neighborhood's park, when they saw a moving truck stop in front of the house right across them. The truck was followed by a car.  
  
"Lookie, Sano! Some people are moving to that house!" exclaimed an eight- year-old Rikkuse excitedly.  
  
"Jeez, no kidding, Rikkuse." A ten-year-old Sano sighed. His little brother could act so... so... naïve sometimes. No. Scratch that. He was naïve ALL the time.  
  
"Oh, look. The people are getting out of the car." A nine-year-old Tae pointed out. Tsubame, since she was five and didn't know anything about nothing, didn't say anything.  
  
They were all watching as they saw a woman (Okka-san!) come out from the driver's seat. From the other door, came out a boy about ten, with long red hair tied in a low ponytail, and shining amethyst eyes. (Gee... I wonder who it could be... x)  
  
"Tae, why does that kid have long hair and a ponytail? I mean, he's a guy. Guys don't have long hair or tie 'em up in ponytails." Rikkuse pointed out, being the curious midget he was.  
  
"It's because he just FEELS like it, baka." Sano snapped at his baka brother.  
  
"Anyway, his eyes are pretty!" Tae pointed out sighing. He had the prettiest eyes she had ever seen. "They're purple."  
  
"Whatever." Sano and Rikkuse said at the same time. If there was something they agreed one, it was that girls were weird.  
  
Then from the back door came out a girl about seven with long brown hair with red streaks, tied up in a ponytail. She had sparkling amethyst eyes too. As soon as Rikkuse saw her, he started blushing, not taking his eyes off her.  
  
"Umm... Rikkuse?" Sano waved his hand in front of his brother. Tae, curious, followed Rikkuse's gaze to the girl. Rikkuse suddenly snapped out of it, as if waking up from a dream.  
  
"W...what?" he said, looking to Tae, who was smirking at him.  
  
"Oh, Sano!" Tae said in a singsong voice. "Rikkuse was staring at that girl!" Tae giggled, making Rikkuse blush.  
  
"So? She's pretty." Rikkuse countered.  
  
"That's my boy, Rikkuse! Just how I taught you." Sano gave his brother a hearty pat on the back. Tae rolled her eyes. Boys will be boys  
  
"I DEFINITLY wanna go over there. Come on, Sano. Let's welcome the new people!" Rikkuse begged at his brother, and Sano decided it wouldn't hurt to be nice.  
  
"Sure. Come on, Tae. Don't forget Tsubame!" Sano called out after he and Rikkuse had set off running, leaving the two girls behind.  
  
"H...hey! Wait!" Tae called out as she gave her hand to Tsubame and they started running much slower than the guys, but headed to the same destination. They got there in a few seconds. When they were all together, they carefully approached the front yard, where the two other kids were sitting on the grass, watching the movers unload their stuff. Then, they looked at the Sagara gang. Both kids looked nice, and cheery too.  
  
"Umm...Hi." Sano said, and the boy with red hair got up.  
  
"Hello." He answered. The girl was quick to follow the boy's example.  
  
"Hi!" she said cheerfully.  
  
"Umm, well, we know you're new around here, and we were wondering if we could be friends." Sano continued, and the two other kids smiled broadly.  
  
"Sure!" the boy said, and he extended his hand to Sano, who shook it.  
  
"I'm Sanosuke Sagara, this is my sister Tae, the blond midget is my brother Rikkuse, and the little girl is my baby sis, Tsubame." Sano did introductions.  
  
"I'm Kenshin Himura." The red-haired boy said.  
  
"And I'm Sora Himura!" the girl introduced herself.  
  
"Himura, huh? So, are you brother and sister?" Sano asked. Kenshin shook his head.  
  
"No, we're cousins. And I'm not actually gonna live here, I was just accompanying my aunt and cousin while they moved. I live uptown." Kenshin explained.  
  
(A/n: Of course he lives somewhere else, with his mom and dad. If I made him be living with Sora and Okka-san at such an early age, then it wouldn't fit with what I wrote in chapter 4 about Kenshin being the assassin, and then being taken in by his aunt, right? x)  
  
"Aww, but, do you come here often?" Rikkuse asked, and Kenshin replied with a yes.  
  
"Me and Kenshin go to the same school. Okka-san picks us up, and brings Kenshin to my house until late in the afternoon." Sora said.  
  
"Good! Then, we'll all be best friends, right?" Rikkuse said, and all the kids smiled broadly.  
  
"Yeah!!!"  
  
"Yeah... And after that, Rikkuse and Sora have done tons of mischief around the neighborhood. And I could name at least 50 accidents in which Rikkuse has been in because of Sora. Well, you can't blame it all on Sora, but she's always part of the reason." Sano said.  
  
"Yeah. Like the time Rikkuse was teaching Sora how to do that sk8board trick. He was trying to show off by jumping over a chair with his sk8board, but I guess he "miscalculated" because he crashed down on Sora's mom's chair, and... Oooh... Sora's Okka-san wasn't very happy." Tae tried to suppress a giggle.  
  
"Yeah! He slammed down on the chair, ate ground BIG-TIME, and he got his ears pulled by Sora's mom! Hahahaha...!" Sano laughed hard, imagining a sulking Rikkuse getting his ears pulled, while everybody else was laughing.  
  
"But, there was one time that something happened, but it was Sora who suffered the consequences." Tae said, her tone changing to serious.  
  
"You mean..." Misao said, with big wondrous eyes. Tae nodded.  
  
"Sora's cross-shaped scar."  
  
Flashback  
  
One day, Rikkuse, who must've been about 13 or 14, was outside riding bike, when suddenly Tsubame and a couple of her friends came over to him. Tsubame was crying.  
  
"What's wrong, Tsubame-chan?" Rikkuse asked his sister. Tsubame's face was streaked by tears.  
  
"Over there at the park, there're some really big guys who are picking on us. One of my friends is still there." She cried. Rikkuse's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Is that so?" he said, following his little sister to the park. Nobody picked on his sister and got away with it without a couple broken bones. They finally got there. A bunch of guys who were about five years older than Rikkuse had encircled a terrifying kid and demanding him to give them money.  
  
"We know your family's loaded, kid. So cough up some cash." One of the brashest ones said. Another one turned to grab the kid by the collar of his shirt, when he was pulled by the back of his own shirt.  
  
"What the... who the hell are you?" he said, before Rikkuse punched him. Not hard, but, well, what was "not hard" for Rikkuse is "really hard" for us. The guy was flung back to his companions. The bewildered bullies looked from their pal to the scary-looking dude who now stood in front of the terrified little kid. The way he had his hands, holding his fist in front of him, and the way he had his gravity-defying golden hair and aquamarine eyes, he looked like a "Super Saiyan" from Dragon Ball Z. The look on his eyes was serious and intimidating.  
  
"Listen, don't mess with these kids, unless you wanna pair of broken bones." He said, and the one that looked like the leader sneered.  
  
"Broken bones? You? You've gotta be kidding us, kid!" he laughed, and the others laughed with him. "Get him!"  
  
Two of the guys charged for Rikkuse, but immediately they were flung back, knocked out. (Don't mess with Rikkuse's fists! Even Sano's afraid of them! x You go, Rikkuse! That's my boy!)  
  
"You morons, getting beat by a kid. You're hopeless." The leader said, as now two other guys stepped up. They brought out knives.  
  
"Knives? Shit..." Rikkuse muttered. He hated pointy things. Especially SHINY pointy things that could cut him without any mercy of the user. By now, the kid had disappeared, so Rikkuse was all alone. The fight started. Rikkuse managed to disarm one of the guys, but the other hurt him when his back was turned.  
  
"Agh! Shoot!" Rikkuse fell to his knees wincing. They had hurt him in the leg.  
  
"Grr...Dammit! I HATE shiny pointy things." He said, and then the knife was coming at him again. He was pushed to the side, by someone who received the diagonal slash on her left cheek.  
  
"Sora! What the heck are you doing here?" he yelled, but Sora didn't answer. She was looking at the guys, her eyes having a seriously scary golden glimmer. She felt the blood trickle down her cheek, but she didn't cry out, or even feel the pain. The guy that was disarmed by Rikkuse was back in action, knife in hand. Both of the knife guys attacked again, but in a flash, and between clasing sounds, they were both lying unconscious on the ground. The leader and the remaining two guys were freaked out.  
  
"Wha...what the hell was that? Don't you idiots stand there! Are you gonna let a girl beat you?" he cried out. His remaining companions took out metal bars. One swung it at Sora. She jumped over it, and with a jump-turning kick took him out. The metal bar was flung to the air. Sora caught it just in time to block the other guy's metal bar. The guy was pretty strong, and he was weighing down on the metal bar. Sora was falling back because of the force.  
  
"I've got you now, you brat!" he sneered. One of the first guys Rikkuse had knocked out came to his senses. Seeing his companion struggling with Sora, he did the first thing that came to his mind: grab the knife close to him and throw it. Sora, feeling something was coming for her, moved her head back. The knife that would have otherwise hurt her badly grazed her cheek, in a diagonal mark that formed an X with her first cut.  
  
"Sora!" Rikkuse yelled, as he knocked out the guy again. Now Rikkuse got furious. He managed to get up and started beating up the remaining bullies. Sora then quickly put in practice one of the principles she was taught by her cousin: use the opponent's strength against him. In a flash, she disappeared. The guy had been doing so much force he fell frontward. Sora then appeared behind him and hit him with the bar as if it was a kendo sword, Hiten Mitsurugi style. She then turned to the leader, the only one remaining. Needless to say, the guy was terrified. His whole gang had just been beaten up by a young girl with a bloody X on her cheek and scary amber eyes, and a super-saiyan-looking kid five years younger than him. He flinched when Sora spoke to him.  
  
"Get out of here, and take your gang with you. Let it be the last time you show your ugly face around here." She said, her eyes narrowed into the ultra-famous amber death glare. (Hee... Must run in the family! x)  
  
The guy quickly got on his knees and bowed to Sora.  
  
"Y...yes ma'am!" he said, terrified, and quickly ran away.  
  
Sora turned to Rikkuse, who quickly ran to her.  
  
"Sora! Oh my GOD!" he said hysterically, pointing to her bloody cross- shaped scar. "I am SO IN TROUBLE! Your Okka-san will never forgive me! Sorry, sorry, sorry! You got hurt because I was so stupid!" he now bowed down in front of Sora. Sora felt a little awkward.  
  
"Geez... all these people bowing down before me is getting to my head... Rikkuse, get up." She said, extending her hand to him. He took it, blushing.  
  
End of Flashback  
  
"Afterwards, they went to Sora's house. When Okka-san saw her daughter with two very bloody cuts, a beaten-up Rikkuse, and Tsubame crying that it was all her fault, all her fault, all her and her friend's fault, she nearly got a heart attack. But neither Rikkuse nor Sora got in trouble because, well, kids have to look out for each other, don't they? And since that day, Sora's had that cross-shaped scar like Kenshin's. Except, for some reason, hers has been healing a bit, while Kenshin's seems to never fade away, even a little." Tae said. Misao's eyes were wide with wonder.  
  
"Wow..." was all she could say.  
  
Sano got up.  
  
"Well, Tae, Weasel Girl, I'm goin' to bed. I'll need all my energy to grab Rikkuse tomorrow and MAKE him listen to all I have to say to him." Sano stretched, and then yawned.  
  
"Yeah, Sano. You do just that." Tae said, yawning herself.  
  
So Sano went to bed, and so did everybody else. And, before he fell asleep, Sano wished for his brother to stop being such a baka and actually listen to him, for a change.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
I wrote this chapter because there's been a few people e-mailing me asking me how Sora got her cross-shaped scar. And, starting from this chapter, I'm gonna ask my reviewers to predict what they think's gonna happen or SHOULD happen on the next chapter. Let's see who guesses! x Well, until next chapter. 


	23. Ok, ok! I love you!

Hey, I'm finally back online! My dad took MY laptop to get fixed, and now I have a modem, so I don't have to depend on his laptop anymore!!! Ooh yeah! I have to say, I really missed writing, especially for such wonderful reviewers as you guys are. More than 400 reviews?! This is more than I ever dreamt of getting! Thanx, guys! And now, I bring you an awaited update!  
  
Very few people seemed to notice that I had updated with Chapter 22. I suggest you read it first, before you read the next chapter! .x  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own RK. Only myself, Rikkuse, Taiichi, Okka-san, Hiroki, Tatsuyo, Koji, etc.  
  
Chapter 23: Ok, ok! I love you!  
  
Sano woke up to the feeling of the warm rays on his face. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes, letting out a huge yawn. After he stretched his back, and feeling more awake, he looked to the other bed in the room. It was empty. He then looked at his bedside clock. Midday? He shrugged. Whatever. He was on vacation. Picking up what he was going to wear today, he headed for the shower.  
  
He came out of the bathroom, wearing his bathing suit, which was red swimming trunks, that would match his headband, of course, and a Hawaiian- style button shirt that he didn't button up. He shook his head vigorously, drops of excess water flying off in all directions. He then tied his headband on. He looked at himself in the mirror. Other that his slightly swollen cheek, he looked hot, not that it bothered him.  
  
"Who's that good-looking dude?" he smirked, and then headed out of the room. He decided that his first stop of the day would be at the dining room. He would go have some breakfast, and THEN he would take care of the "Clearing Things Up With Rikkuse" problem. As he walked down the hallway, he heard a door open behind him. He turned around.  
  
"Morning, Kenshin." He greeted his best buddy, who gave him his famous rurouni smile.  
  
"Good morning to you too, Sano." He said just as cheery, but then his expression switched to serious. "Sano, we have to talk."  
  
Kenshin and Sano were in the dining room, Sano munching down on everything in front of him. Boy, was he hungry! As Sano gulped down everything in sight, Kenshin sat quietly sipping a cup of tea he had ordered.  
  
"Sano, how could you do that?" he asked suddenly, taking Sano by surprise.  
  
"Huh? What're you talkin' about, Kenshin?" he replied as he stuffed half a pancake into his mouth.  
  
"You know what I'm talking about. About you and Sora." He said, and Sano almost choked. He started coughing and had to down the lump in his throat with a glass of orange juice.  
  
"Listen, there's NOTHING going on between me and Dragon Girl, ok? It was just a misunderstanding!" he burst out. And afterwards, he told Kenshin all that happened.  
  
"Oh." Was all that Kenshin said as realization dawned on him. They had finished breakfast and were now walking in the hotel's interior gardens.  
  
"You see? That's why I've been trying to talk to Rikkuse to tell him exactly this, but he won't talk to me." Sano said.  
  
Close from there, leaning on a tree, someone was listening to them. When she heard Sano's story, her amethyst eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"What? I can't believe it! How DARE Rikkuse think something's going on between me and Sano!" Sora thought angrily. That baka... he shouldn't jump to conclusions without knowing. "Ooh...when I get my hands on him..." she growled. If only she knew where Rikkuse was right now...  
  
"So, Kenshin... Do you know where Rikkuse is right now?" Sano asked as he leaned lazily on a tree. Kenshin shook his head in response.  
  
"He left early this morning, he didn't tell me where he left to." Came Kenshin's response. Sano slumped.  
  
"Whatever made me think that THEY would know were he is..." Sora sweatdropped. After all, those two weren't the smartest guys in the world. Well... okay. Maybe Kenshin IS smart... but he was just clueless most of the time. But Sano... idioticness was his middle name. "Looks like I'm gonna have to find him on my own." He said to herself as she set off to find him.  
  
Once outside the hotel, Sora started to ponder. Rikkuse had been majorly upset... because he thought she was Sano's girlfriend or something... She blushed. Does that mean... that Rikkuse was... jealous??? She quickly shook her head to scatter the thought until she found him. She started to think about where would she be if she were him right now... Then she remembered... Once when they were little kids, Okka-san invited one of her friends over, who brought her son along with her. Sora had been playing with him all day, and forgotten all about her best friend, Rikkuse. He had run off upset, and she had gone after to apologize. She found him "staring at salt water", literally. He had been sitting at the beach, just staring at the water. THAT'S IT!!! Rikkuse's favorite place to go when he was upset was the beach! That's where she had to go...  
  
Effectively, Rikkuse was at the beach, sitting on the soft warm sand, just feeling the pleasant breeze and soaking the warm sunrays. He was so oblivious to his surroundings that he didn't notice the figure standing behind him. In fact, he didn't even react until he received a conk on the head.  
  
"Hello, anybody in here?" Sora said annoyed, making Rikkuse look back, amethyst clashing with aquamarine. Rikkuse almost jumped back surprised.  
  
"S...Sora! What're YOU doing here?" he inquired, but Sora, instead of answering, sat on the sand right net to him. For a while they stayed like that, both staring into the unending blue sea. Ever now and then, Rikkuse stole a glance at the girl he'd had a crush on for eight years now. Why hadn't he told her when he had ? Trust his brother to do this kind of thing to him...  
  
"Umm... Sora?" he said tentatively.  
  
"Hmm?" she replied, turning to look at him.  
  
"If you don't mind me asking... what DO you see in Sano anyway?" he said, and then... Sora started laughing! She completely lost it, she was laughing uncontrollably. Rikkuse just sweatdropped.  
  
"Wh... What's so funny?" he asked, looking at his best friend, who had doubled over with laughter. She started to calm down. A little.  
  
"It's just that..." she started, and tried to repress anew wave of laughter. "It's just that I can't believe YOU ,of all people, think something's going on between ME and SANO!"  
  
It took him a while to understand what she had said. "But... but... I saw you two last night and I thought..." he said, surprised, and Sora started laughing again, but not before she hit him over the head. "Oww... what was that for?"  
  
"That's for even thinking about something like that. Next time, learn the facts before you jump into conclusions." She answered before she let herself fall heavily back on the sand. "Well, I hope you got over your jealousy issues." She joked, and Rikkuse started blushing  
  
"Me?! Jealous?! No way!" he said, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"Is THAT so?" she said, getting up. Rikkuse looked at her, and in a flash, she wasn't there. He suddenly found himself pinned down to the sand.  
  
"Tell me the truth, Rikku... or else." She said playfully, with a wicked grin.  
  
"Or else... what?" he inquired hesitantly.  
  
"Or else I'll tickle you to death!" she said evilly. He gulped. If he had a weakness, it was the fact that he was super-ticklish.  
  
"Sora... please..." he started.  
  
"'Fess up, Rikku." She menaced.  
  
"You wouldn't."  
  
"Wanna bet?"  
  
Then she started to tickle him. All it took was a slight brush of her fingers to send him into waves of laughter. Sora tickled him most on the sides, where she knew he was the most ticklish.  
  
"Sora... please... stop..." he managed to plead between Sora's tickling attack.  
  
"Not until you tell me the truth."  
  
Rikkuse couldn't resist much longer. He decided to use this chance anyway.  
  
"Ok, ok! I admit, I love you!" he finally confessed, between waves of laughter. Suddenly, Sora stopped her tickling attack.  
  
"Say that again?" Rikkuse took this chance to quickly make some space between him and the merciless tickler.  
  
"I said... I love you." He said, a familiar redness coming back to his cheeks. On the other hand, Sora felt her heart hammering wildly in her chest, and her cheeks were burning up. All she did was stare at him with her eyes wide.  
  
"Rikkuse, for your sake, this had better not be a joke." She warned. He looked at her, hurt reflected in his aquamarine eyes.  
  
"I would NEVER joke about something like this, especially since I've been crushing on you since eight years ago." He replied. He then got closer to her. "What about you? How do you feel about me?"  
  
"I... I...oh, alright. I love you too." She managed to say those words which she found so big and difficult to say, but which were, nonetheless, the complete truth. She hadn't been crushing on him since so long, barely three years ago, but still, her feelings for her best friend were strong. Rikkuse wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. She blushed at their closeness. But then she quickly kissed his cheek, and slipped out of his grip, grinning mischievously.  
  
"Hey! I just told you that I loved you, and that's all I get?" he protested. She giggled.  
  
"You gotta catch me first!" she said as she disappeared from view. Rikkuse cursed at her childish nature, and her speed.  
  
"I HATE that Hiten Mitsurugi speed of hers..." he muttered under his breath. Oh well. He might as well at least TRY to catch her...  
  
Sano and Kenshin were around town, looking for Rikkuse. But even though they were on the lookout for the younger teen, they couldn't help but admire the beautiful touristy town. The town was chock-full of happy people having a good time on vacation. And there were several refreshment stands on the streets.  
  
"Kenshin, can we PLEASE have something to eat? I'm starving!" Sano whined, and Kenshin sweatdropped.  
  
"Sano, we ate, well, YOU ate brunch half an hour ago..."  
  
"Really? Well, it seemed like six hours to me, and that's what counts." He said as he stopped at a hot dog stand. "Gimme your biggest hot dog with the works." He said to the man, who nodded and started working on Sano's order. Meanwhile, Sano and Kenshin sat on a bench right next to the hotdog stand.  
  
"Kenshin, where do you think Rikkuse could be?" he asked, but Kenshin had no idea. As the man handed the hotdog to Sano, it was snatched away from Sano's hand.  
  
"Hey, what's the big idea... oh. It's just you, Weasel Girl." He somewhat greeted Misao, who had been the hotdog snatcher. She and Kaoru were shopping, and they had seen Sano and Kenshin sitting on the bench all alone, so decided to pop up and say hello.  
  
"Hello to you too, Sano. And DON'T call me Weasel!" she said as she hit him over the head and took a bite out of the hotdog.  
  
"Hey, that's mine!" he yelled, and they both started fighting. Kaoru and Kenshin couldn't help but laugh at their friends' actions.  
  
"Well, hello, Kaoru. It's nice to see you this morning." Kenshin beamed ever so sweetly, and Kaoru felt herself blushing.  
  
"Umm... yeah! Nice to see you too." She answered a little too quickly. "Kenshin, what are you and Sano up to?"  
  
"Well, we're actually looking for Rikkuse. He and Sano have to sort something out. You know... brotherly stuff."  
  
"Oh, ok." Kaoru smiled, and took a seat next to Kenshin. Meanwhile, Sano and Misao had finished fighting. When Sano turned around to face Kenshin and Kaoru, all he could do was sigh.  
  
"Man! First they take my hotdog and then they take my chair? I give up! This is too much for me!" he said as he slumped on the ground. And the next thing he knew, a flash jumped over him. He couldn't tell what it was. "What the hell was... WHOA!" he yelled as seconds later Rikkuse crashed into him. "Great, lost my hotdog, my chair AND my healthy spine... Ow... Get off, you baka!" Sano yelled at his brother, who was on top of Sano's back.  
  
"Oops, sorry, Sano." He said, getting up, and holding out a hand for his brother. Sano was hesitant to take it.  
  
"Uh, what happened? Weren't you mad at me or somethin'?" he asked, before Rikkuse put his free hand to his head, laughing sheepishly.  
  
"It's alright, Sano. I managed to work things out." Sano's eyes shot up to see the person who had said that. It was Sora, who by the way was balancing on the top part of the bench where Kenshin and Kaoru were sitting.  
  
"Dragon girl."  
  
Sora winked at him and gave him the peace sign. She then turned to Rikkuse.  
  
"So, how'bout it Rikku? Giving up?" she asked playfully. Rikkuse was out of breath.  
  
"For the time being, I am. But watch out. The moment you let your guard down, I'm gonna catch you." He said as he leaned on his brother for support. He was exhausted from running so much. Sora, on the other hand, looked like she didn't even break a sweat. "Kenshin, you SO have to teach me that Hiten Mitsurugi style."  
  
"What, are you guys playing tag or something?" Sano popped up. Rikkuse blushed.  
  
"Umm... well... something like that."  
  
Kenshin, Kaoru, and Misao laughed. "Good luck catching her, Rikku!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
Boy, that took me long to write. I'm sorry. I know it wasn't especially long, but after a month of not having a computer, I started to develop a lasting writer's block, so that when I finally sat in front of my computer, I didn't have ANY idea what to write... But I'm working on this writer's block, so don't you guys worry! More to come, and the story is going to get a little more serious. Well, until next chapter. Oh, and before you go, review this chapter, and chapter 22 if you haven't already, please. Not many people noticed chapter 22, so, please, R and R! .x 


	24. The Plan

Ok. First of all, I want to say Sorry to all who, well, complained that I WASTED a whole chapter in an author's note. I'm sorry, I really meant to replace that author's note with chapter 23, but I was in a bit of a hurry when I updated, so I kinda messed up. Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry... But I ask you people to be, well, not so demanding in the future, please. Just try to take it easy on me, ok? After all, like most of you, I'm just a kid. This isn't my only fic. And I have my own life, which I don't plan to spend all day sitting in front of a computer writing fan fiction. I have RESPONSIBILITIES too, among them babysitting two living typhoons during the whole summer. Please, bear with me.  
  
Note: I thought that since I was on vacation and all, I would be able to update my fic more often and stuff, but there's just one problem... It IS vacation, and nothing interesting has happened to me, so I'm not getting any inspiration at all. I guess you guys must be disappointed in me... but put yourself in MY shoes: locked inside your house all day, without anything to do except baby-sit two human hurricanes plus the occasional cousin tornado, PLUS experiencing a fascination for certain other anime... It's just not easy. But I promised that I WOULD finish this fic, and I intend to keep my word.  
  
Disclaimer: Visit any of the previous chapters if it's so important to you... Just don't mess with the Dragon Girl when she's not in a good mood.  
  
Chapter 24: The Plan  
  
"Every Kenshingumi guy to the gym! I'm calling a meeting!" came Sano's voice among all the shouts and noise from the people who were also enjoying the pool. Sano didn't really expect an immediate answer from any of the other guys, so he was surprised when he received an icy reply.  
  
"Oh goodie. Rooster head is calling a meeting." Aoshi replied, pretending to be giddy, but Sano noticed the sarcasm behind that remark.  
  
"That's right, penguin. Now get moving!" Sano shouted over his shoulder as Kenshin and Yahiko started to dry themselves off with their towels.  
  
Later, in the gym:  
  
"Ok. I've got a plan for tonight... Rikkuse are you paying ANY attention to what I'm saying?" Sano asked out loud to his brother, who seemed like he was up in Cloud 9. Actually, he had been like that all day, except when he was devising ways to catch Sora off guard for a moment. He knew that to catch her, it would take brains. Chasing her head-on wouldn't help, she was just too fast. Those were his thoughts, anyway, until Sano slammed him on the head, which sure snapped him out of it quickly.  
  
"OWWWWWW! You didn't have to hit so hard, Rooster-head..." Rikkuse grumbled as he massaged the back of his head, while every other guy sighed.  
  
"Are you two done with your "brotherly love" business? We're not getting any younger over here." Yahiko voiced out, earning a glare from both Sagaras. But Yahiko, being the brat that he was, was not affected by them.  
  
"Well, if you ask me, YOU getting older would certainly be an improvement." Sano spat at Yahiko, who glared at him. "You're too bratty a kid, Little Yahiko."  
  
"What'd you say?! I'll get you for that! Grr!" Yahiko growled as he leapt onto Sano's head and started biting it. Sano kept a stoic position, with a smirk on his face, seemingly not being bothered by the brat chewing on his hair. But after a couple of seconds, it all came clear.  
  
Yahiko dropped himself from Sano's head, spitting out whatever it was that was in his mouth. "Yuck! Stupid Rooster-head! You put GEL on your hair! Eww! Disgusting! Help! I've been intoxicated! Oh no! I'm gonna DIE!!!!!!!!!" Yahiko cried out melodramatically, earning sweatdrops from everybody else, who decided to ignore him for the rest of his ranting, that would go on for HOURS.  
  
"So, Sano, mind telling us what you made us get out of the pool for?" Kenshin interrupted, receiving support from everybody else.  
  
"Yeah, Sano. We were having fun!"  
  
"And I was getting a tan..."  
  
"Oh... right... like YOU could even get a tan, Penguin."  
  
"Rikku, I suggest you don't start an argument with Aoshi..."  
  
"Stay out of this, Kenshin!"  
  
"Well, EXCUSE ME FOR TRYING TO AVOID A FIGHT!"  
  
"YOU WANNA PIECE OF ME?"  
  
"ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
They all turned to see Sano, who looked REALLY mad, with a couple of veins popping out in his head. "STOP ARGUING!!! YOU SOUND LIKE YAHIKO!!!!!!!"  
  
That sure shut 'em up quick...  
  
"Ahem, like I was saying, I think it would be a good idea if we took the girls out tonight. You know, nothing too fancy, but nothing too cheap either. Let's just show them we really care. Anybody need some money for it, just ask."  
  
"Sano, the only reason why you're doing this is because you want to get Megumi alone and sort things out with her, am I right?" Kenshin gave Sano his famous rurouni smile. Sano laughed sheepishly.  
  
"Well, I guess... But let's forget about that for now. So, everybody knows who they're gonna ask out?" Sano inquired, receiving nods from everybody except...  
  
"Umm, Sano? What about me? If you guys get paired up with the girl you like, that would leave me with Tae. I don't want her to get the wrong idea about me." Soujiro said, flashing everybody his never-ending smile.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm sure she won't have any problem with you buying her dinner." Sano smirked. "Besides, you know her heart is taken by that idiot in my class, Katsu."  
  
"And she also won't mind by the fact that she's the one who came up with..." Kenshin started before Sano muffled his speech, sweatdropping.  
  
"I knew it! I knew you couldn't have come up with an idea like that on your own, Rooster-head!" Yahiko beamed triumphantly, earning a glare from Sano.  
  
"Why don't you put your foot where your mouth is and SHUT UP, Yahiko-chan!" Sano growled, presenting Yahiko with his fist.  
  
"WHY DON'T YOU MAKE ME!!!" Yahiko snarled back, his shinai magically appearing in his hands.  
  
"I'll be GLAD to!" The Kenshingumi guys sweatdropped as Sano and Yahiko started fighting in a cloud of smoke.  
  
"Some things never change..."  
  
  
  
Later that day, in the girls gym:  
  
"Sora, for how long are you gonna be at it?" Kaoru, dressed in black sweatpants and a sapphire blue shirt, stood with a towel hanging from her shoulders, gawking at Sora, who was wearing red sweat pants and a white tank top. The dragon girl had been at the punching back for more than for than an hour already, and still going at it.  
  
Misao, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, was facing a wooden wall with a target painted on it. Flashing her kunai, it was only a matter of seconds before they had all skewered the target. Megumi with her hair up in a ponytail, and Tae, who wearing similar attire to those of their friends, were working out on some of the machines, while Tsubame just sat and watched.  
  
Sora beat the punching bag a few more times, before wiping the sweat of her forehead. When she walked over to get her towel, she left a sweatdropping Kaoru looking at the punching bag fall apart right before her eyes. When Sora came back and saw the look on her friend's face, she started laughing.  
  
"It's okay, Kaoru... Sano told me he would pay for all the damage we caused to the gym." She laughed, winking at her friend. They were interrupted by a "Humph!" coming from behind them. They turned around to see Megumi with her arms crossed over her chest.  
  
"Is that stupid Rooster head suggesting we are savage beasts who break everything we put our hands on? How dare he!" she fumed.  
  
"Aww, come on, Megumi. Don't take it like that! You're being a little too hard on him!" Misao butted in, defending her Rooster head friend. Megumi just answered with another "Humph", giving her back to them.  
  
A snickering Sora pulled Kaoru away from the group.  
  
"She misses him. BADLY." She giggled, and Kaoru couldn't help but smile apologetically Megumi's way.  
  
"Let's just hope Sano switches into high gear and tackles this little problem... I mean, they've been together for almost two years now. They really love each other, they're just too scared to admit it."  
  
"They should know that once they tell each other, everything will be looking up!" Sora sighed, as she stretched her aching muscles, then lazily slumped to the floor. Kaoru couldn't help but smile.  
  
"How do you know? By any chance would it be personal experience?" she suggested, making a familiar redness come to Sora's cheeks.  
  
Suddenly, they heard a knock on the gym door. Must be one of the guys...  
  
"Come in!" Kaoru called out over her shoulder. The door crept open to show Rikkuse's head popping out from behind the door.  
  
"Umm... Can I borrow Sora for a moment?" he asked POLITELY, making all the girls giggle and Sora blush madly.  
  
"Sure. Here ya go! Make sure you bring her back to me in one piece, though." Kaoru laughed as she "lent" Sora to Rikkuse.  
  
"Thanks." Was all he said before he and Sora disappeared from the doorway.  
  
"Before anything, I call time out." Sora quickly said, making Rikkuse snap his fingers.  
  
"Damn, and here I was thinking I could get two birds with one stone..." he pretended to sulk, making Sora laugh. "Hey, I made you laugh. It's my first victory today."  
  
"Anyway, what did you want, Rikku-chan?"  
  
"I was just wondering if you wanted to go out tonight or something. You know, we haven't even gone out on a single date... I'm buying."  
  
"Like you have to ask."  
  
Sora had barely walked into the gym again when she found herself surrounded and being stared at by four pairs of eyes. (Not five, since Megumi is always minding her own business. .x) She couldn't help but sweatdrop.  
  
"Umm... guys?" she said, hesitantly.  
  
"Never mind whatever it is you're gonna say! What did Rikkuse tell you?" Misao pried.  
  
"Nothing. He more like asked me something. No big deal.' She said care- freely. She knew she was annoying the heck out of the other girls ands loved it.  
  
"I know that smirk on your face, little Dragon girl. It's something, alright!" Kaoru added, as she rested her arm on Sora's shoulder.  
  
"It's just a secret between him and me, alright?"  
  
"I honestly think you girls should stop prying into this. After all, a secret between boyfriend and girlfriend should stay like that: a secret." All the girls turned to stare at Megumi, the one who had just made that commentary. Obviously, Megumi knew what she was talking about. After all, she DID have experience in this type of thing.  
  
"I understand the secret part, but I didn't seem to quite process the other part, you know, the one about boyfriend and girlfriend. Sora and Rikkuse are NOT boyfriend and girlfriend..." Misao stopped in her tracks, then she and the other girls turned to look expectantly at Sora. "Are you?"  
  
Sora smirked playfully.  
  
"Maybe we are, maybe we aren't. I'm not telling!" she giggled as she ran out the gym. She was going to take a dip in the pool and later she would go get ready for her very first date. And what better place for it than the gorgeous Yokohama!  
  
"Ok... I can't believe her..." Kaoru mumbled out loud.  
  
"Yeah... I can't believe that little tomboy got a boyfriend before ME! And she's TWO years YOUNGER than me!!!" Misao yelled.  
  
"You're not one to call ANYBODY a tomboy, Weasel Girl." Snapped none other than everybody's favorite Fox Lady.  
  
"Shut up, you... you... Fox!" Misao stammered angrily.  
  
"Oh my! Please stop fighting!" Tsubame pleaded.  
  
"Guys, Tsubame's right! Stop fighting right this instant!" Tae commanded, giving herself an air of authority. That made Misao stop, but she remained glaring at Megumi, who just flipped her ponytail.  
  
Later, when Misao and Kaoru were coming out of the gym:  
  
"Kaoru, can I have a word with you?" Kaoru heard a distinct male voice calling behind her, and quickly spun around to see Kenshin and Aoshi.  
  
"Kenshin!" she couldn't help but burst out. Embarrassed, she quickly added, "Um... sure." She said as she walked away with him, leaving Misao and Aoshi alone.  
  
"Oh... I wonder how he feels about the other day..." Misao wondered as she glanced over to her Aoshi-sama nervously. Aoshi felt that Misao's gaze switched repeatedly from him to the floor. Sporting a small smile, he walked over to her.  
  
"Misao." He said, causing two sky-blue eyes to lock with his icy ones.  
  
"Yes, Aoshi?"  
  
"Would you like to go out for dinner with me? Just you and me?"  
  
Misao was speechless. She couldn't believe it! Aoshi had actually asked her to have dinner with him? Only both of them? This was a dream come true!  
  
"Oh, of course!" she answered brightly, blushing, causing Aoshi to smile broadly.  
  
"Good. I'll meet you at the lobby tonight at 8:00, ok?" he said, and Misao nodded. "Ok. See you tonight, Misao-chan." He said over his shoulder as he walked away, leaving Misao even more shocked, if that was possible.  
  
"Mi...Misao-chan?" she whispered. "Alright!!!!"  
  
Meanwhile, back to Kaoru and Kenshin!  
  
"Kaoru, I was wondering if you had anything to do tonight." Kenshin asked the raven-haired beauty walking next to him. She was quick to answer.  
  
"No, I don't think I do. Why do you ask, Kenshin?" she said casually, inwardly hoping he would say what she wanted him to say.  
  
"Oh, well, if it isn't much trouble, would you... umm... have dinner with me? You don't have to if you don't want to..." he started, but was cut off by Kaoru.  
  
"Of course I want to, Kenshin! In fact, I would love to!" she beamed at him, receiving his famous rurouni smile as a reply.  
  
"That's great! So... umm... at what time will you be ready?"  
  
"Does 8'o clock sound good?"  
  
"Of course, Kaoru. Well, see you tonight." He said as he waved goodbye to Kaoru as she disappeared down the hallway. He then started towards his own room, pondering on his good luck, and wondering how Sano was doing...  
  
Speaking of Sano...  
  
Megumi was walking out of the dining room, where she had stopped for a refreshment, only to have her gaze meet with Sano's, who was leaning on the wall across from the door. She was going to walk right past him, but he gently grabbed her wrist.  
  
"Megumi..." he started, only to receive an indignant "Hmph".  
  
"Let go of me, Rooster-head." She ordered, her tone stingy and icy. But Sano wasn't going to let go in a hurry.  
  
"Megumi, please... I beg of you. Can you please give me a chance?" he pleaded, his tone soft and gentle, making Megumi all warm and fuzzy. How he was acting... it was softening her heart. She felt that if she didn't give him another chance, her own heart would shatter into pieces. After all, she DID love him.  
  
"Sano... Alright. I'll give you ONE more chance." She answered quietly, and Sano let go of her wrist.  
  
"Thank you, Megumi."  
  
"So, where do you want to meet?"  
  
"Yokohama Bay. At 8:30"  
  
"Our first date..."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Ok."  
  
And finally, well, Tae, Soujiro, Yahiko and Tsubame.  
  
"Everybody else is going out on dates. What are WE gonna do?" Yahiko whined to the other three people sitting at the table. They were sitting at the dining room, sipping sodas or smoothies.  
  
"I have no idea." Was all the answer Tae gave him, as Soujiro just smiled and Tsubame just looked away from Yahiko shyly.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
No commentaries down here this time. Just review, please! .x 


	25. Chapter XXV: Spiral Dates

(Peeks out from corner) Um… hello, everyone… I guess I'm still alive over here (although just barely). Yes, I know how many of you now hate me (probably) for leaving you hanging… but I won't apologize, seeing as it's not enough. I was thinking of how I could pick up where I left… but since I couldn't come up with anything, I started reading RKHM myself from the very beginning. Damn, I surprised myself. Lol It had been such a long time since I've worked with it that I enjoyed it as if I hadn't been the one who wrote it… until I got to this chapter. It's here where I started thinking… Damn… I wanna know what happens next. So I decided I was going to have to try and write it, starting with fixing and lengthening this last chapter, which originally contained just part of Rikkuse and Sora's date. Now it contains a fused spiral of dates, Rikkuse and Sora, Megumi and Sano, and Misao and Aoshi (thanks to Alatre for the kawaii Aoshi/Misao idea ). The Kenshin and Kaoru will be the next chapter because, well, saving the best for last, and because their date is a major turning point in this story. Highschool Madness is almost ending… and things are about to get quite serious indeed

Also, I'd like to mention that I completely re-wrote chapters 1 and 2, which should be up. I strongly suggest you check them out. I'm re-writing all chapters, and there's some major changes going through the story… and I hope they are for the better. I'm currently working on the rest of the chapters (some, the most crappy and meaningless ones might be deleted), and I will try to update every four days until I reach this chapter again, and then I'll continue with the next chapter. If you're really eager to know how the dates go along, you can still read this chapter, though.

Just thought I'd make some changes in my characters first… Sora's hair will no longer be an unnatural brown with red streaks, but just an auburn color. Her eyes are still the same as her cousin's, but her cross-shaped scar shouldn't be there anymore… it's healed… I should only have ONE cross-shaped scar-faced hero in my fic, no? (wink) Sad it took me a bit of soul-searching to figure out my character is very much a Mary Sue, although at least she isn't paired up with a canon character. Most of my re-writing consists in fixing parts of the story that make her such a mary-sue… Sora won't seem better than Kenshin (heck, she won't be too interested in swords at all, just specialize in her kung-fu). She'll be more believable with a slight few changes… I guess I just got carried away when I was young and inexperienced… (sweatdrop) When I do fix her, though, I'll encourage the readers who think of her as a mary-sue to read the new material and tell me what they think. Still, I'm glad many people like (or liked, who knows) my two characters. It makes me happy.

Well, I think I've held you guys up enough with my pointless ranting. I hope you are pleased with this _long_ remake of a chapter, which by the way is dedicated to Aoshi x Misao fans, Sanosuke x Megumi fans, and possible Rikkuse x Sora fans, if any. If you don't like Rikkuse x Sora, feel free to skip over their parts.

* * *

Chapter XXV – Morimoto Problem #1, Sano's Apology, and a moment of sweetness

**Current Mood: Let Me Go – 3 Doors Down

* * *

**

Sora sat on her bed, an apparent pout visible on her face. She was resting her chin on one of her hands as she reluctantly looked over the several outfits strewn over her bed. Dammit… what to wear?

"Having problems, Sora-chan?" Kaoru smiled softly as she came to sit next to the auburn-haired girl. Sora looked up through frustrated amethyst eyes.

"Yeah… I have no idea what I should wear." She let herself fall back on the bed, sighing in defeat. Kaoru laughed sympathetically.

"Here, I'll help you." She said as she began to pull things from the jumbled pile of clothes. Since it was a first date, it should be casual… not something too fancy. So she took out a nice pair of jeans, a feminine spaghetti-stringed top, and a pair of sandals. Not exactly what the other girl was used to wearing, but she was all for it.

While her friend rushed to get dressed, the raven-haired girl decided it was time to pick out what she would wear.

"Have to look really nice for Kenshin." She giggled, before humming a tune as she decided what she was going to wear. When Sora came out all dressed and looking apparently flustered, she clapped her hands in delight.

"Oh, you look so cute, Sora!" she smiled, bringing a blush to the other girl's face. She looked cute… that was a first. "There's something missing, though…" she added, biting on her nail thoughtfully.

Reaching to the back of Sora's head, Kaoru pulled off the ever-present ponytail. In turn, waves of auburn cascaded down the amethyst-orbed girl's back. Grabbing a comb, Kaoru then began to detangle the reddish-brown locks, putting a curl in the tips. To all this, Sora just sat there, twiddling her fingers, allowing Kaoru to work on her as if she were a fashion doll.

Stepping back to admire her work, Kaoru's face brightened.

"Wait!" She halted suddenly. Going to her chest of drawers, Kaoru took out a dangling heart-shaped pendant and matching heart-shaped earrings, which she then put on Sora. Stepping back, she clasped her hands together again.

"Perfect."

* * *

"Man oh man… I've never been so nervous before in my life." 

Rikkuse was in the lobby leaning against the wall, looking down at his watch occasionally. It was five 'til seven.

He looked at himself in the mirror nervously, examining his outfit thoroughly. He was wearing dark blue cargos and a white sleeveless shirt that hugged his body, which showed off several of his abdominal muscles (drool… -). Over it he wore a black jacket. His impossibly spiky hair was sexily out of place (courtesy of Misao). Somewhat satisfied with his image, he turned to lean against the wall once more.

"Rikkuse?"

The golden-haired boy turned around and held in a gasp of surprise. Was that… oh my gosh… was that Sora?

"Damn… I never realized she was so… so Wow." He whispered to himself, looking over her several times, trying to take in every overwhelming detail. Never before had he seen his childhood friend dressed so… girly and pretty. It completely blew him away. If he thought she was beautiful before, now he thought she was absolutely gorgeous.

Sora blushed heavily at Rikkuse's staring. "I'm sorry I took so long, Rikku… I was having some… problems with what to wear."

Only one thought crossed Rikkuse's mind. _'Damn… I hope she has problems with what to wear EVERY day.'_

"No problem at all." He grinned and took her hand, starting a massage of intricate patterns on it, while gazing into the girl's amethyst-colored eyes.

"Have I ever told you how damn beautiful you are?" he flashed her a seductive grin, causing her to blush and burst out in giggles.

"Not really."

"Well, then, I'm telling you now." He said, before leading her out the door.

Outside, it was a clear nighttime sky. The moon was full and silvery, and numerous stars dotted the heavens. The cool spring breeze of Yokohama just added to the atmosphere's pleasantness.

As they walked down a busy chattering street, Rikkuse slid his arms around the girl's shoulders.

"So, what'cha wanna do tonight?" he asked shyly, while she moved in closer to him, enjoying the comfortable warmth and aura stemming from him.

"Well… I kinda don't remember when was the last time I ate…" which was true. She tried to recall her last meal, but failed miserably.

The boy grinned. "Ok, let's go. And I know just where to take you."

Five minutes later…

"Fuddruckers! Rikkuse, how did you know?" Sora exclaimed enthusiastically, as Rikkuse led her inside the hamburger place. "It's, like, my absolute favorite! The burgers here are awesome!"

Rikkuse just chuckled. "I would shame myself if after eight years I didn't know your favorite restaurant." He smiled at her with that amazing smile of his.

"Damn you, Rikkuse! Where've you been all my life?" she glomped him.

"Umm… I dunno… maybe living right next door to you?" he said sarcastically.

"Don't be a wise guy." She pecked his cheek lightly, before sitting down to order.

After a tasty dinner of Deluxe Cheeseburgers, spicy fries and a shared strawberry milkshake, the two found themselves on the street again. Once more, they had no destination.

"Wanna go to the movies? Heard The DaVinci Code came out." Rikkuse asked, but before Sora could reply with an excited yes, someone calling out to them, or more specifically, to Sora startled the two.

"Hey, Sora! Is that you?"

Sora turned around, eyes gaping wide, to come face to face with Hiroki Morimoto.

"Hiroki?" she blurted out, as the young man took her hand.

"My dear Sora, I'm delighted that you remember me!" he exclaimed excitedly before placing a kiss on her hand, much to Sora's chagrin and Rikkuse's annoyance. Who the heck WAS this kook, and who the hell did he think he was, kissing his girlfriend's hand like that?

"Ahem…" he cleared his throat, walking in between Sora and the taller guy. "That's nice… now, if you'll excuse us…"

The other guy seemingly smacked himself on the head. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. My name is Hiroki Morimoto."

"Hiroki Mori-what?"

* * *

Misao hummed happily as she looked herself over in the mirror. She had done her very best to look great for her date with Aoshi, and it was certainly worth it. The blue-haired girl wore a pure white long-sleeved top with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows paired with body-hugging jean capris and white wrap-around heel sandals. She decided to re-do her braid a different style and since her hair was gathered up, decided on wearing studded earrings, together with a matching necklace around her neck. 

"Perfect." She said pleased as she fastened the chain around her neck.

As on cue, there was knocking on her bedroom door.

"Coming!" Misao called out as she headed toward the door. She opened to come face to face with a completely black-clad Aoshi waiting outside. Her face brightened up. He had come to get her!

"Aoshi-sama!" she chirped happily. The guy made no movement, but the corner of his lips twitched upward in the makings of a smile. Misao became starry-eyed.

"_I'm this close… THIS close to see him in the middle of a full-fledged smile."_

"You look… prettier than usual." He commented, and Misao just about died right there.

"_Oh wow… he thinks I look pretty! Wait… pretty-er! Does that mean he thinks I'm usually pretty? Oh yes!"_ she mentally cheered. "Thank you." She beamed at him. The corners of the icy boy's mouth seemed to twitch more pronouncedly than before…

"Shall we go, then?" he asked, taking the cerulean-eyed girl by the hand. A slight pink blush on her cheeks, Misao eagerly agreed.

"Yes!" she smiled, before asking excitedly. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

* * *

Sanosuke leaned against the railing bordering the boardwalk on Yokohama Bay, standing stoically as the nighttime wind blew at his hair. His hazel eyes remained fixated on the endless blue ocean, watching as the waves lapped lazily at the shore. 

He looked down at his watch. Eight 'o clock. Megumi should be there any minute now.

"Ok, Sano… chill. You can do this…" he mentally rooted on himself, taking deep breaths. He had to get his girl back. To him… she meant the world. "Think about what Sora told you… show her how much she means to you."

'_Heh… since when have I started referring to myself in the third person? I must be more affected than I thought.'_

He turned around to stretch his back, just in time to see her coming. There she was, dressed in her little black dress and black heels… stunning as always and heading his way. As the wind tossed and played with her silky, long black hair, she used a pale hand to gently brush it out of her face. The look on her green eyes was one of sadness, maybe melancholic? Sano let his hands drop to his sides. He was hopelessly lost.

"Megumi…" he whispered as she came to a stop in front of him.

"Sanosuke." Was her simple reply. Sano winced at the tone. It was unfamiliar and harsh, not to mention she had used his full name. His heart ached.

He slowly raised a hand to brush a stray raven-black strand from her face, before turning around to lean on the railing once more.

"Listen, Megumi…" he started. "I know this isn't enough to make up for everything I've ever done to you but…"

He turned around again, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. Megumi was slightly startled, but let out a breath as she basked in her boyfriend's protecting arms. She wanted to stay mad at him… but it was quite impossible to keep up.

"Sano…" her tone was soft, and she had resorted to calling him by his usual nickname.

"I admit… I'm nothing but a rooster-headed idiot for not noticing what a great girl I have…" he declared softly, nuzzling into her aromatic hair. Was that the scent of plums…?

"I'm sorry… so sorry." He whispered, pulling back slightly so he could look into Megumi's face. Her green eyes immediately sought out his hazel ones. She gently put her hand on his cheek.

"I love you." He declared sincerely, and Megumi's heart couldn't take it anymore. Tears formed and began to fall from her eyes. She hadn't expected something like this…

Sano became alarmed when the green-eyed young woman began to cry. "Megumi!" he gently grasped her shoulders. "Did… did I say something wrong?"

His response was the feeling of soft lips upon his own as Megumi kissed him, taking hold of his jacket and holding him tightly toward her. Needless to say, he was just as surprised as she had been a minute before, but he quickly recovered. Putting both arms around her waist, he held her close.

"Sano… I love you too."

* * *

"Oh my…" 

Misao covered a gasp when they finally reached their destination. Never in her life could she have imagined that Aoshi would bring her here, of all places; 'Cherry Blossoms', Yokohama's World-Famous Japanese Grill and Sushi Bar. She had been dying to come here for several years now… and here she was walking through the majestic hand-carved mahogany doors, hand in hand with the man of her dreams.

"Aoshi… wow… this is…" she remained wide-eyed as they were escorted to a free table, passing an interior garden and koi pond. The walls were painted with magnificent dragons, stylized clouds and delicate sakura petals.

The former icy-eyed teen, his gaze now dramatically softened, looked down at the shorter girl. "Do you like it, Misao?"

Her expression changed from one of awe to one of glee. "I love it!"

Aoshi replied with a half-smile. "Glad to hear."

The young couple was seated in a far-away corner of the restaurant, which was already bustling with customers engaged in quiet conversation. Soft Japanese music drifted about, helping to set the atmosphere. The waiter presented himself, handed each of them a menu, and after taking their drink orders, left them to ponder on their appetizers.

"Hmm…" Misao mumbled as she eyed through the appetizer menu. The place certainly had a wide variety of sushi. "What are you going to have, Aoshi?"

The tall young man gave a slight look over his menu before responding. "I think I'll have some spider and California rolls for an appetizer. Then maybe I'll have some shrimp and filet mignon."

"Sounds good." The girl chirped as she kept examining the menu. Her face suddenly contoured in mock disgust. "Eel? Eww… who would want to eat eel?"

Aoshi let out a chuckle. Misao was so unique and special. Truly one of a kind.

* * *

"Hiroki Mori-what?" Rikkuse quirked an eyebrow at the guy. Man, this guy was just weird. 

"Morimoto." The other guy corrected, sending a slight glare at the blond boy who now had his hand securely clasped on Sora's shoulder.

Rikkuse noticed this, and tightened his grip slightly, but not enough to hurt Sora. "Right… so… you know Sora _how_?" That question had been burning in his head ever since Morimoto had called the auburn-haired girl by her name.

"Oh… we had an exhibition match at his dojo the other day." Sora replied, then turning to look strangely at Hiroki. _'But I didn't quite expect to see him again.'_

"And who might _you _be?" Hiroki narrowed his eyes hatefully at Rikkuse. That didn't go unnoticed by Sora, making her slightly uneasy.

"The name's Rikkuse Sagara. I'm Sora's _boyfriend_." He added venomously, enjoying how the other widened his eyes before clenching his fists.

But Hiroki wasn't just gonna roll over and let little blondie take the win.

"Sagara? As in the _Tokyo Sagaras_?" he sounded mock ecstatic, sending an evil grin toward Rikkuse. "My, aren't we the spoiled little brat." He then turned to the girl. "I'm sure you could do _much_ better, Sora."

(A/n: The Sagaras, since they were a rich business family, were well-known all throughout Japan, so it's no surprise Hiroki knows about Rikkuse's status.)

The green-eyed boy let out a growl, and the auburn-haired girl frowned. Hiroki was taking this way too far.

The taller guy didn't seem to notice the threats he was receiving, though, for he continued as if he were giving a weather forecast. "What you need is a strong warrior, an honorable, hard-working man… someone like me." He finished with a suggestive smirk sent in the girl's direction.

A blush became painted on Sora's cheeks, and Rikkuse had had enough.

"You're so full of yourself, aren't you?" he glowered viciously as he roughly grabbed the other by the shirt. Hiroki didn't seem too intimidated, though.

"Ooh… I'm shaking." He taunted with a leer.

A small smirk made its way to Rikkuse's lips. "You seem to be under the impression that I'm some kind of pushover."

The older martial artist liberated himself from the emerald-orbed boy's grip.

"An amateur at best." He gibed, and Rikkuse just exploded.

"I'll show YOU an amateur!"

Sora gasped as Rikkuse lunged at an unexpected Hiroki, who barely managed to block the punch sent his way. Seeing his blow countered, Rikkuse went into a fury of blows, which the martial arts master tried to dodge the best he could. Hiroki was slightly aghast.

'_This shrimp isn't all talk… dammit, he has a lot of energy behind his blows.'_

He moved his head to the side just in time to avoid a punch right in the face, yet the wind wave created by Rikkuse's blow slightly cut his cheek. The older boy mentally cursed. He had to do something before he lost without landing a single blow.

Sora was kind of frantic, but didn't seem to find a way to get in the middle of the fray. "You guys, stop it!"

* * *

Aoshi's eyes held a certain sparkle in his eyes as he curiously watched Misao carefully slice her food and then put it to her mouth. He didn't know why, but he found it fascinating… heck, everything she did intrigued him so. 

Many times in his life he had heard the phrase "opposites attract". Never before had he payed attention to it, until he met Misao. The girl was spunky… energetic and cheerful, a people-person. And he, who was an apathetic, icy-minded _fool_, was completely drawn to her, like an eager moth to an enticing flame.

She complemented him. She was everything he was not… and so much more.And now, after that recent incident between them, when they had kissed… his mind became clear. He loved her, and soon he would make it known to her… Soon.

Misao sighed blissfully as she put down her fork, gently wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin before settling her hands on her lap. She turned sparkling, grateful cerulean eyes at Aoshi. The food had been wonderful, and the company had been even more so.

"Aoshi…" she started shyly. "Thank you so much for bringing me here… and for spending all this time with me." She smiled sweetly.

One smile and he was almost a pile of mushy Aoshi goo. _Why did this girl affect him so? Was it the fact that he loved her?_

"For you… anything." He replied without need to think, causing a light pink blush to wash over the now-beaming girl's face. Should he tell her? Yes, now seemed like a good time…

"Misao." He suddenly said, startling her as he took her hand. "There's something I want to tell you."

"Yes, Aoshi?" The petite girl's heart was hammering in her chest. _'Could it be…'_

"Misao… I…"

"Look out!"

Both startled teens turned to look.

Nothing could have prepared Aoshi for what happened next. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. A waiter carrying a dessert, seemingly rushing to take it to a table, had tripped, and said dessert went flying. And it found the most _convenient_ place to land… Aoshi's head.

Before the tall ice-eyed teen knew what hit him, his head was covered almost completely in some sweet sugary substance. Caramel dripped down his face, and whipped cream and _something_ topped off his head and half of his face.

The horrified waiter began to apologize profusely.

"Oh my God, sir… I am sooooo terribly sorry!" the man bowed down, repeating the aforementioned words like a mantra. "I am so sorry… Please forgive me."

Aoshi didn't say anything. Instead, with a growl, he wiped some of the dessert from his eyes and was about to turn to glare daggers at the man when he heard timid giggles and felt something soft caress his cheek. Turning, he saw Misao softly lick a fingerful of the sugary dollop she had wiped off him. Her beautiful cerulean eyes twinkled with amusement as she enjoyed the irresistible sweetness.

"Waiter, I'll have one of those, please."

* * *

… _End Chapter XXV …

* * *

_

Well, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to end it here. But don't worry, the dates will have their ending in the next chapter, intertwined with Kenshin and Kaoru's _long_ date. Speaking of which…

I want Kenshin and Kaoru's date to be the longest and best, so I'm open to any suggestions that I can add to whatever it is that I have planned. (wink) Thanks again, and hope you liked it. The next revamped chapter III might be up next week. Keep your eyes peeled!

Love,

Sora


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